Fall From Grace
by Veritas Sanguinus
Summary: Aelwynn Nightstrider left Undercity with nothing but her bow and her Spirit Beast, Loki. Now, she's been called to Draenor. Follow her as she leads the way through the strange lands of the alternate Draenor, and as she returns to Azeroth. Some things have changed, but has she? Sequel to The Adventure Begins
1. Chapter 1

**Hello everyone! So, here we are with chapter one. I can't promise that this one is going to be super long, I've had a fair bit of writer's block, but I've been working through it. Hope you enjoy, and feel free to review, positive or not-so-positive.**

* * *

The portal was broken.

Aelwynn stood with Khadgar and Go'el, looking up at the remains of the portal, regret sinking deep into her gut. She should have stayed on Azeroth. She thought back to her last conversation with the Banshee Queen, her former lover, and winced as she remembered the hate in that crimson gaze. Hate that was fueling Sylvanas down an extremely destructive path. But there was little Aelwynn could do. She turned, giving one last glance toward the ruins of her one way home before following the Archmage and their group.

* * *

She dodged and weaved, raising her bow and blocking the strike from a large axe wielded by one of Kargath Bladefist's men. She gritted her teeth as her bow snapped in half at the arm. Aelwynn bared her canines at the orc, drawing her combat sword and kicking him in the chest, turning to her right and blocking another blow. Go'el and Khadgar were both dealing with their own orcs, and the rest of the group behind them was fending off the horde on their own. She ducked as the blade of the axe swung back at her and she lunged, catching the first orc between the ribs, yanking the blade out and slashing across the second one's chest. Both fell to their knees, and she swung her blade again, taking both heads off quickly.

A young shaman was fighting four orcs, desperately trying to keep himself out of their reach, and she took off toward him, kicking another charging orc in the chest before leaping on his shoulder and vaulting behind the group in front of the shaman. She hamstringed two of them, grabbing the first to collapse to his knees and slit his throat, spinning and catching the other in the join of his neck and shoulder. She heard her spirit beast roar in triumph as another two orcs fell, and Loki leapt on the one to her far left as she dispatched the last, looking up at the shaman with a nod.

"Thank you, wolf-sister." He said.

She turned and whistled for Loki, racing off to deal with the last orc, a mountain compared to the last several, one who was currently swinging a mace the size of a small tree at the Archmage. She gave a battlecry, leaping on his back and plunging the knife between his shoulder blades. He yelled, reaching up and grabbing her by the arm, wrenching her around to face him. His eyes were filled with fury, burning brightly in the dimly lit arena. He tossed his mace aside, gripping her other arm and pulled her closer, one hand sliding up to her neck. A crack was heard as Go'el slammed Doomhammer into the hilt of the sword between his shoulder blades, and Aelwynn's eyes widened as the blade shot through his chest and buried itself in her side.

She grit her teeth and braced her feet against the orc's chest, agony flaring in her side, and launched herself off of his chest, landing hard on her back and gripping the wound. The large orc fell forward next to her, dead. Go'el grabbed the hilt of her ranger sword, pulling it roughly from the dead orc and tossed it to Khadgar before hauling her to her feet. "We need to move!" He shouted, pointing at the entrance of a cave and practically dragging her there.

* * *

He leaned Aelwynn against the wall of the cave, waving a priest over.

She felt the Light course through the wound, healing the majority of the damage, and waved the priest away as she pulled a bandage from her pack.

"You could have let him finish." Her former Warchief scolded.

She looked up, scowling. "I'd rather have him use a minimal amount of his energy, being a healer down if we're ambushed again would probably kill us all. Besides, he took care of the majority of the damage. I'm healed internally. If it splits I'll use an antiseptic. I'm fine now."

Go'el frowned. "And what would Syl-"

Aelwynn's gaze snapped back up to him and she held up a finger, her normally arcane green eyes glinting yellow. "You better choose your next words carefully, _orc_. I'm _not_ here representing the Banshee Queen. I'm here on my own. Now, before you get any brilliant ideas, or your mouth runs away with you and you end up pissing me off further, I suggest you check on the rest of our group here."

* * *

She snagged a bow from an orc she had dispatched, frowning and shaking her head in disgust. She had no idea how the orc had managed to use it. It was unbalanced and needed to be restrung, and the majority of the ornamental pieces that decorated it would need to be removed.

As she returned to the camp, she pulled the bow over her head, grabbing her pack and sitting next to the bonfire. She pulled her skinning knife, sticking the point in the dirt next to her foot. Khadgar sat next to her on the fallen log, watching her pull the bow apart. She glanced up at him, raising an eyebrow as he watched her.

"I have no idea how they manage to use a bow with the amount of shit they have strapped to them. I'm okay with ornamentation, but this is ridiculous..." She said, bracing the bow between her knees and prying several of the large bones off of it, setting them aside with a critical eye.

Khadgar chuckled. "That's one thing I enjoy about being a Mage. I don't have to have a staff in hand in order to be effective in battle. I don't know how you do it, but watching you in battle is a privilege. You did well today." He said.

Aelwynn shrugged a shoulder, narrowing her eyes and taking in a short breath. "The one thing I can count on is that I'm never alone in battle." She said, gesturing to the bushes.

He looked to where she had gestured, noticing for the first time that her Spirit Beast, Loki, was lying down in the bushes. He was still enough that no one would know he was there even if they were actively looking. Khadgar could see the pale blue of the beast's eyes flicker as he blinked.

"You know, I've worked with hunters before, and while I appreciate the proficiency of ranged fighting, you seem to be just as comfortable in the middle of the fighting as you are away from it." He said. "You remind me of a dear friend of mine. She was a formidable hunter, her loss is still felt today."

Aelwynn sighed, slicing the string on the bow and tossing it into the fire before picking up a whetstone and sharpening her knife. "You're talking about Alleria..." She said quietly.

Khadgar looked down at her, watching her sharpen the blade, and nodded. "I knew her well. I wish I had known her sister before her death. I've worked with Vereesa as well."

Aelwynn's grip tightened on her knife, and she tossed the whetstone down before slimming down the arms of the bow, a dull fury coming over her at the mention of the woman who betrayed Sylvanas.

 _'It doesn't matter anymore. Just forget it.'_

Khadgar glanced down at her again, noticing the way her ears had pressed closer to the sides of her head.

"Commander, if I stepped out of line, I apologize."

She looked up, and he noticed a pale yellow glint to her eyes he hadn't seen before.

"It's fine Archmage. I dealt with the Silver Covenant in Northrend and Pandaria. I don't have many good things to say about Windrunner." She said, her voice strained.

He frowned slightly as she went back to working on the scavenged bow. She grabbed a new bowstring and fixed it quickly to the bow, testing the tension in the string and nodding to herself.

"Her sister is the leader of the Forsaken, isn't she...that must be difficult, having family on the opposing side."

Aelwynn froze. She didn't want to talk about it, yet she felt that the man next to her was going to force it out of her without even realizing it. "Yes." She said hesitantly. "The Dark Lady leads those that broke free from the Scourge. They've done their best to make the best of a terrible situation." Aelwynn finished diplomatically. She could sense a set of eyes on her that were not Loki's, and her ears pinned further to her head as she glanced around. She stood, her knife in hand.

Khadgar looked up, watching her and reached for his staff. "What is it?" He asked, looking back to the bush where Loki had been lying, but the beast was gone.

"I'm being watched."


	2. Chapter 2

**Ahh, chapter 2. We're moving along through Draenor, not one of my favorite expansions, but hopefully I'm making it more interesting! Enjoy!**

* * *

As she stepped out of the bushes, her eyes met a familiar pair of crimson orbs, and she felt the fury swell inside her. She bared her teeth angrily and drew her sword, pointing the razor-thin tip at the undead high elf. "Why did you follow me?" She hissed.

Dark Ranger Velonara held her hands up, watching the Blood Elf warily. "I was asked to come to Draenor. I figured I would stay with your group since we've worked together before."

Aelwynn shook her head furiously. "If you're here because of _her_ , stay the hell away from me. She had her chance, and she refused to speak to me."

Velonara dropped her hands to her side, sighing unnecessarily. "I'm not here because of her. I promise. I'm here because I wanted to help. And to be honest, I'd rather be here now than be back in Undercity."

Aelwynn eyed her suspiciously, her left ear twitching as she heard two sets of footsteps coming up behind her. It was Khadgar and Go'el.

"Commander..." Khadgar asked hesitantly.

She turned her head, refusing to look at him. "I'm going hunting. We're going to need to eat before we move on."

* * *

She stood at the dock, waving the survivors over. Khadgar was working on a barrier to keep the Iron Horde from progressing, and she saw two of their berserkers chasing some of the Frostwolf clan members that they had helped.

She drew her bow, nocking an arrow and released it. The first shot struck true, the arrow point burying itself in the female's neck. The second struck the male in the face. She watched the last of the survivors run up the dock and she followed them, keeping an eye out for ambushers.

"Jump!" She shouted, calling to Go'el. "We're good, let's get out of here!" She dodged a hail of arrows as they struck the dock behind her and she turned, glancing up at the treeline. "GO!" She yelled, leaping across the gap and rolling as she landed solidly on the boat, grunting as she felt the blood start to soak the bandage she had used to cover her wound as it reopened.

* * *

Durotan, Warchief of the Frostwolf clan met them at the makeshift dock, and she could sense the awe and heartbreak coming from her own former Warchief. Go'el was the son of Durotan, yet the brown skinned orc spent only a moment speaking to him.

Aelwynn watched her former Warchief and Khadgar as they followed the Frostwolf chieftain up the pathway. She took a deep breath of the icy air, gritting her teeth as the pain in her side flared again, and lowered her head, closing her eyes. She was on another planet now and had no idea if or when she would return to Azeroth. Not that it mattered much. She'd do her best to keep things running smoothly for her troops sake, but once she was no longer needed she had no idea what to do. She shook herself and followed up the path, keeping watch around her for enemies.

* * *

Khadgar had worked with Aelwynn before, briefly, and he'd enjoyed the quick wit and humor the Blood Elf brought to just about any situation. Seeing her on the battlefield was a sight to behold. Now, however, it was like looking at a completely different person. Aelwynn Nightstrider was a contemplative woman, considerate to a fault, and always ready and able to lend a hand in any situation. Was being the key word. She was different, and he assumed it had something to do with her time working to fell the Twilight Dragons and then Garrosh. She was cold, her temper quick to show and possessed an impossibly sharp tongue. She'd dressed down two of the orcs that had been born on Azeroth, who volunteered to come help, gritting her teeth and calling them 'brainless lackwits', making mentions of their 'obvious questionable parentage' and wondering how they had survived as long as they had. Both men had made to go after her, but her skills were honed like a finely tuned war machine, and her bow was armed and pointed in the larger one's face before he finished his first stride.

"Do it. I dare you. The moment you breathe wrong I'll have one less sorry excuse for a being to worry about." She threatened, her green and golden eyes hard and jaw tense.

Go'el had watched her, confusion clouding his features, and he looked at Khadgar hoping the Archmage could offer some clarity. Khadgar shrugged, looking back to Aelwynn and addressing her. "Why don't you take a minute, there are a few missions that need approving, and I'm sure you could use a break." He suggested hesitantly.

If looks could kill, Khadgar would be long dead.

Aelwynn had whirled on him in a fury that had would have terrified a less experienced person, one that had reminded him of the Dark Lady of the Forsaken. "Of course, Archmage." She practically spat his title out, turning on her heel and stiffly marching off. 

"I'm worried about her." Go'el said when she was out of earshot.

Khadgar turned to the blue eyed orc, raising an eyebrow. "What happened to her? That is not the same hunter we worked with before...she was just as intense in the jungle." He said.

Go'el nodded. "It is. She didn't take the news of Garrosh's escape well. Between her temper and Lady Sylvanas', I'm surprised the Undercity is still standing." He said.

Khadgar looked at him askance. "Why would she be in the Undercity? She's Sin'dorei, not Forsaken."

The green skinned orc gave Khadgar a glance. "I take it word never reached Dalaran, then...odd, with Vereesa there I would have expected you'd find out."

The Archmage frowned. "Find out what?" He asked insistently.

A voice came from behind them, one that neither was expecting. "They were lovers, it was quite serious." Dark Ranger Velonara said quietly.

Khadgar raised his eyebrows. "Oh...I suppose that explains her reluctance to talk to me about Lady Sylvanas."

"They had a rather...destructive argument before you contacted Aelwynn. From what I gathered, the Dark Lady told her to leave, and not to come back. Both are too stubborn to swallow their pride and talk to one another." She explained.

Go'el frowned. "How has Lady Sylvanas handled the separation?" He asked sincerely.

Velonara shook her head, her normally serene countenance twisting into a grimace. "She's been unbearable. She's always been sharp, but now...well, let's just say that I'd rather tangle with a crazed dragon..."

* * *

Aelwynn dedicated all of her time to the supervision of the Frostwall Garrison, the goblins learning very quickly that a painful death awaited any who mouthed off, slacked off, or spent too much time standing in one place.

Go'el had watched her go toe to toe with a large yeti, and had felt sorry for the large beast as he witnessed her savagery. Her actions against the yeti, as well as Bladefist's men proved that she would put even the proudest orc to shame.

* * *

The garrison was her home now, though it felt less like home than anywhere she'd ever been. She turned as Vivianne and Dark Ranger Velonara came into the command center and she made herself busy by studying the map on the table.

"Commander, do you have a moment?" She heard Velonara speak up and stiffened.

"What do you need?" She asked, turning and eyeing the two passively.

Vivianne looked to the Dark Ranger hesitantly before stepping forward. "Commander, I was wondering if I could speak to you in private for a moment. I have a question and it's...well, it's of a personal nature."

Aelwynn cut her glance to the Dark Ranger, then back to the undead. "Of course. Right this way." She said shortly.

As they stepped into Aelwynn's private rooms in the Lodge, the undead looked around. The living space was sparsely decorated, with only a single chair and table for furniture, and several racks for weapons and stands for armor. There were two rooms off to the side, and as she stepped further into the main room she saw that the room to her right was a bedroom, a pallet of furs in the corner, and no bed to be found. She turned, looking to the Commander.

"Sparse, I know. I don't feel the need to make myself comfortable, can't tell when I'm going to be needed elsewhere. Now, what did you need?" Aelwynn asked. She tried to make her tone one of concern, yet here she stood in front of one of her former lover's people, and she was struggling to contain her emotions.

"I overheard some of the others talking about missions, and I was wondering if you needed me for any. I know there are several people here who are more qualified than I am, but there has to be something I can do." Vivianne said quietly.

Aelwynn tilted her head, eyeing the Forsaken Mage. "There are always missions coming in, and I have a list of people who are qualified. The reason you haven't been sent out yet is because one hasn't come up that needs your expertise. If you feel you could be useful in some other area, by all means, let me know." The hunter said, her tone clipped and impatient.

Vivianne frowned. "Look, I realize that you're still hurting. Sylvanas was a fool to throw you out. But you need to realize that the majority of the Forsaken share my view. We're all concerned about the Banshee Queen. She hasn't been the same since things went down. However, that doesn't warrant the way you've been treating the Forsaken that are here. If you don't want us here, I'm sure we could find someone else to aid." Her voice bounced off the walls as she spoke louder, the resonance striking a chord in the Hunter.

Aelwynn was impressed. "You're the first to actually confront me about my attitude." She frowned. "I can't say that I really appreciate it, but I do understand. And it isn't that I don't want you around. There really haven't been any missions where any of you would be of use. However, the next time a mission comes up, you will be first on the list if your skills are required."

* * *

When Vivianne came to assist in the garrison, she hadn't expected to be welcomed with open arms by the Commander, knowing the moment she mentioned the Banshee Queen that it had been a mistake. There had been a flat look in the Commander's eyes, followed by a flash of pain and fury, and then a coldness that had settled in her visage.

The races of the Horde that came to assist in the Frostwall Garrison made sure to give their Commander a wide berth, all knowing that the safest route would be to give her room. She was never in a good mood, and as the months passed, as more recruits were brought in and trained, as the missions got more difficult Aelwynn would never flag. She split her time between the command board and leading missions. Many found her staring at the zones of Draenor and no one would ever fault her for the decisions she made when it came to strike zones. Where others would find places to make landfall and gather resources, Aelwynn made sure her troops knew she would lead them to hit the enemy hard and fast. The Iron Horde would never escape her wrath.

And they didn't.

One by one, the leaders of the clans fell before them. Aelwynn's ultimate goal was to have Hellscream on his knees before her, beaten and bloody, so she could drive an arrow through his eye socket and watch him die.

That was Go'el's biggest mistake.

"You unimaginable _bastard_. A Mak'gora?!" She hissed, grabbing her bow off the table.

The former Warchief frowned. "He's dead. There's no use getting angry. Besides, did you honestly think it would change anything if you were the one to kill him? That perhaps Sylvanas would take you back if you were the one to finish this?"

Aelwynn snarled at Go'el, her untamed fury blazing strong. "No use getting angry?! I-how dare you!" She shouted, grabbing one of the model Iron Stars from the war table and throwing it across the room. He regretted what he said almost immediately, and he prayed that the elements would protect him, because there was no other defense against her, he knew that.

He watched as she spun on her heel, pacing the hall agitatedly. She reminded him of a caged beast, little did he know he'd just poked a very vicious and hate-fueled bear.

She was losing control completely, and there was no one there to calm her down. No one who knew what the warning signs were. She clenched her hands into fists, angrily brushing past the former Warchief and heading for the stables.

"Where are you going?" He demanded.

She turned, her eyes flashing a shade of bright gold.

"I'm leaving before I do something regrettable..." She snapped, eyeing him with raging fury and absolute disgust as she grabbed the reins to her tamed Prowler and took off.

* * *

 **So, she's angry...leave a review and she might just calm down!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Oh boy, I am so sorry it's taken so long to update. Life got in the way. Between work issues and some minor health problems I've been so busy. But you guys don't wanna know about that, so here's the next chapter in Aelwynn's life. Enjoy everyone, and a belated Happy 2018!**

* * *

"Was that necessary?" Khadgar asked as Go'el watched the retreating form of the Commander.

"She needed to hear it. Perhaps not that way, but it needed to be said."

Khadgar frowned. "You do realize the amount of stress being the one to make all of the command decisions has put on her, don't you? You went through as much while you were Warchief."

Go'el looked at the Archmage. "Yet I did my best to treat everyone with respect, regardless of my feelings toward them."

The Archmage shook his head. "Your circumstances were different. You had other leaders to rely on. She's out here on her own, and she refuses to delegate. If she sees that something needs to be done, she does it herself. She always has. You weren't dealing with the same personal situation that she is, either."

The orc frowned and looked at the man. "She needs to stop using it as a crutch. I realize that it's painful for her, being separated from someone she loves, but taking her anger out on others is not going to do her any good in the long run. I'm surprised she hasn't made more enemies."

Khadgar sighed. "Let me ask you something. You're currently separated from your mate and children, doesn't that affect you?"

"It isn't the same, as you just said." Go'el replied.

"Perhaps not, but where you miss your family and are able to go home to them when we're finished here, she can't." Velonara spoke up as she steered her mount toward them. "The Dark Lady banished her, and gave express orders to the Deathguards to kill her on sight if she returns to Forsaken lands."

The Archmage hissed through his teeth and shook his head, his blue gaze dropping to the snow covered ground.

Go'el watched the Dark Ranger as she steered her undead steed toward the front gate of the garrison.

"Tell me something, sir. If your mate had done such a thing, wouldn't you react like Commander Nightstrider?" Velonara said, turning back to the gate.

* * *

Go'el had been right. She knew he was the moment her brain registered what he had said. Killing Garrosh would have done the same thing that killing Arthas had done...nothing. There would be no effect. She would still feel the anger at failing to protect their world. The pain of losing Sylvanas. The rage at herself for giving up so easily on their relationship, on what they could have had. She steered her Prowler, a grey wolf named Ashpaw farther away from her garrison, aware of the coming snowstorm and kept riding.

* * *

"Might I ask what that was about?" Draka asked as Dark Ranger Velonara passed the bonfire.

The undead high elf looked down at the brown skinned orc with a frown. "They were speaking of the Commander's former lover." She said hesitantly, shifting unconsciously on her mount.

Draka frowned. "And why is this woman's mate not here?" She questioned.

Velonara raised her eyebrows. "I don't know that they're...mates, exactly...Lady Sylvanas is the leader of the Forsaken...the undead that you've seen around here, myself included. They had an argument, a big one, right before Aelwynn was sent here. We were supposed to bring the orc we were chasing back, but Go'el dealt the killing blow. There were other factors involved, but his escape is part of what caused such a large rift between the Commander and the Dark Lady."

Draka frowned once again. "If there was an argument, surely they know that speaking to one another is the only way to resolve the conflict."

The Dark Ranger sighed, resting her hands on the horn of the saddle. "You would think so. Unfortunately, there were other circumstances involved...ones that only the two of them are privy to. So, in the end, it's up to the two of them to work things out. I'm just here to ensure that the Commander makes it through this alive, and doesn't do anything too foolish."

The brown skinned female nodded. "I wish you the best of luck, and give my regards to the Commander. If she wishes to speak of the conflict to a party that has no ties to it, tell her I am willing to listen."

Velonara gave her a small smile and nodded. "Of course, thank you." She looked out the open gate, frowning. "I'm going to need to find her first."

* * *

They made camp for the night in a cave near the border of Gorgrond where she fed Ashpaw several chunks of raw meat and started a campfire to cook her own. She brought him to the rear of the cave, pulling off his saddle and bridle and allowing the wolf to shake out his fur.

She addressed the Dark Ranger who had been tailing her nearly all day. "If you've come to retrieve me and bring me back to the garrison, there's no point. The campaign is over."

Velonara appeared at the edge of the cave, an eyebrow raised. "If you're looking to kill yourself, there are quicker ways to do it than by freezing to death." She replied.

The hunter didn't look up, instead opened a bottle of ale and stared into the fire. "I'm not going to freeze to death. Now, as enlightening as I'm sure this conversation would be, I'm going to turn in early. I'd like to get an early start if I'm going to make it across Gorgrond tomorrow. I'd like to hit the coast before nightfall."

Velonara cocked her head, her eyes widening. "Ashran?! Commander-"

"Yes, Ashran. I'm going to take the fight to the Alliance." Aelwynn replied.

"I..." The Dark Ranger released an unneeded breath. "Do you realize how selfish that is?" She asked quietly.

Aelwynn finally met her gaze, the blood elf's green-golden orbs filled with pain. "Selfish? You..." Her shoulders dropped. "Selfish is the last thing I would call it. Let me sum up the last year...no, two years of my life. Because of Hellscream's escape, and that reckless, stupid decision your _Queen_ and her sister came up with, I have spent two years living on this gods-damned planet. Trying to survive here! And then...rather than being able to chase that...that monster down, I got a nice little congratulations from our former _Warchief_ telling me that my efforts were much appreciated and that I could stand down because that disgusting _beast_ was dead!"

Velonara frowned. "I heard what he said to you. We all did."

Aelwynn stiffened, staring into the fire.

"He had no right to bring her into it. The Archmage told him as much when you left. Look, I know I'm probably one of the last people you want to talk to, but just know you're not alone. If you need to talk to someone, I'm here. Draka said she is as well." Velonara said, stepping up and resting a hand on the hunter's shoulder.

Aelwynn looked away, nodding. She looked back up to the Dark Ranger, trying her best not to cry. "I just...I can't take it anymore." She started. "No matter what I do, I'm never going to be able to get her back. I should have fought her on it."

Velonara nodded. "I can't begin to imagine what you're going through, but I can tell you, and this is without trying to sound sympathetic to the Dark Lady...you have a bit of an easier time than she does. You're away from reminders. You don't have to worry about going into a set of chambers that you shared. Or seeing your guildmates, people who are intrinsically a part of you, wandering around Undercity. There are reminders of you everywhere there. But, at the same time, you have a more difficult time. Being...being killed and raised, we don't get to keep a lot of our positive emotions. They disappear the minute our souls are torn from our bodies. To be honest, I'm truly, and pleasantly surprised that Sylvanas was even able to feel love at all. We all died horribly, and our souls were taken from us, but none of us were treated like she was." She said, lowering her gaze. "When he turned her, she wasn't completely gone. It was part of her punishment for keeping him from getting to the Sunwell. He tortured her before she died."

The hunter sagged, looking down at her feet. "How did Draka find out?"

The Dark Ranger sat next to her, pulling her hood off. "She was just within earshot when you two had your...exchange. She asked me as I was leaving to follow you. I told her the bare minimum, just enough to let her know what was going on." She shifted, looking back to Aelwynn. "You might want to talk to her, you know? She's the wife of a chieftan, if she doesn't know how it is to be married to someone in power, I don't know who does."

Aelwynn frowned. "I appreciate the advice. But, you do realize that...that Sylvanas and I are not married."

Velonara raised a brow. "If things had been different, would marrying her be something that would bother you?" She asked quietly.

Aelwynn stared into the fire. "Until I met her, the second time, I hadn't thought about it at all. I didn't imagine myself living long enough to settle down. It wasn't until I was in Teldrassil, burning from the inside out because of this damn curse, that I even thought about it. And to be honest, I still doubt I'll live long enough to marry anyone, let alone her." She looked over at the Dark Ranger seated next to her.

The former high elf looked down at her feet for a moment, glancing back up at the hunter. "I think that if you two hadn't split up, it wouldn't have been long before she asked. Would you have said yes?"

The blood elf sighed. "I don't know. It's not the reason you think, either. Her being undead has nothing to do with my decision. If she was a Dark Ranger, or a member of the elite guard, I would accept in a heartbeat. But with me being a living creature, and her ruling an entire faction...I wouldn't want her ability to lead to come into question because she fell for a feeble living creature like me."

Velonara shook her head. "You know that my people's reaction would be far from that."

Aelwynn huffed sardonically. "Not all of your people like me, or the fact that I'm...that I was Sylvanas' lover. Nathanos and his followers least of all."

Velonara sneered. "Well, not many of us like him either. Her decision to move him into a new body makes me sick. She should have just let him rot. It has nothing to do with him being human either, he was difficult to stomach when he was alive and now that he's one of us, it just makes it worse. Him being the only human Farstrider went to his head fairly quickly. He was a good ranger, but his attitude and the way he dealt with women was...questionable at best."

The hunter nodded. "His fixation with Sylvanas was taxing to deal with. Even being separated, it bothers me that he's there."

They heard a snarl outside the cave and both stood, bows at the ready. Aelwynn held her right hand up, sneaking toward the front of the cave and drawing back her bow. There was a dragging noise, followed by a thud, and Loki's familiar yowl as he noticed her.

"Loki! How did you get out here, handsome?" She asked, tucking her arrow back in the quiver and crouching to his level. She looked up to see Draka standing in the entrance of the cave.

* * *

The little sleep Aelwynn got that night was filled with nightmares. Flashes of their fight with the Lich King, the Ranger General who had rescued her, the banshees that roamed Windrunner Spire. Woven in with them was images of Garrosh Hellscream sitting on a throne of skulls, the heads of the Horde and Alliance leaders on pikes overhead. Speaking with Draka had settled her some, but she was still afraid that being back on home soil was going to be difficult, whether she decided to avoid Sylvanas or not.

* * *

 **BACK ON AZEROTH, UNDERCITY**

Sylvanas heard that the forces of Commander Nightstrider's garrison were coming back, and though it should have settled her at least a bit...it hadn't.

The Banshee Queen maintained her stiff pose as the last of the Forsaken left the throne room, gesturing to the guards near the door and turned to the stairs. "Sharlindra, I'll be in my chambers. Send someone if I'm needed." She said, her mellifluous voice cold and sharp.

"Of course, Dark Lady." The banshee replied, turning to Nathanos Blightcaller and nodding.

Clea stood at the bottom of the stairs, a scroll in hand and waited for her Queen to acknowledge her.

"Clea." She said, waving the Dark Ranger into step behind her.

Clea closed the door behind her, passing Sylvanas the scroll. "The latest reports from Velonara, my lady. Hellscream is dead. Their garrison commander disappeared after it happened, apparently she and Thrall had an argument. Velonara went to find her, she left this with Vivianne."

Sylvanas unfurled the scroll, reading over the note quickly. Aelwynn had disappeared. Again. This time of her own volition. _'Vanished. She's out in the wilderness on that planet, alone.'_ She turned to face Clea. "Have our forces return to the Undercity at their earliest convenience. Now that the search for Hellscream is over, they're needed back here. Speak to Nathanos about their return, and retraining."

Clea frowned slightly. "And Commander Nightstrider? Ranger Velonara went looking for her, no one has heard anything from either of them."

Sylvanas raised a silver brow. "I see no reason not to find Velonara. Her duty is to the Forsaken, her loyalty to the Commander is misplaced. When she returns, I will speak with her."

The Dark Ranger shook her head. "My Queen... Sylvanas, it's Aelwynn. Whether you think Velonara's loyalty is misplaced or not, Aelwynn Nightstrider earned the respect of your people. And whatever happened between the two of you, it hasn't changed."

The Dark Lady clenched her fists, her eyes narrowing. "What went on between that blood elf and myself is no one's business but my own. The Dark Rangers and Deathguards know my orders. If Nightstrider returns to Azeroth, she is to stay away from Forsaken territories."

* * *

As Clea left, Sylvanas' undead heart clenched. She tried to maintain an air of impassivity, but the more her people mentioned her former lover the harder it was to hide her reactions. She was furious during their argument, and had lashed out at the woman who deserved it least. When Aelwynn left, the former High Elf knew she had screwed up badly. She hadn't expected Aelwynn to give up.

She kept up a cold attitude but it was no match for the coldness that had settled in her heart. Sylvanas was alone now, helplessly adrift on a turbulent sea of negative and destructive emotions and for once she cursed the existence of the hunter she fell in love with. Her emotions overwhelmed her daily, when she would reach the threshold of her private chambers and she was finally alone, it was all she could do to struggle against the flood of emotions, to grasp the remaining threads of her control in a futile attempt to hold herself together.

She turned as she heard a knock on the door and sighed needlessly. "Yes?" She asked.

The door swung open and Nathanos stood on the other side, waiting for permission to enter.

She raised a brow, looking him over. "Was there something you needed, Nathanos?" She asked quietly, her voice as sharp as an arrow.

"My lady, the first troops have arrived at the docks, did you want to speak with them?" He asked, stepping in the door and closing it behind him.

She stiffened as he came closer and narrowed her eyes as she glared at him. "Have them meet in the throne room, I'll be there momentarily." She said.

He turned to face the door and spoke over his shoulder. "You'll be better off if you forget about her, Sylvanas. She was never good enough to be the Champion of the Forsaken, and she was never worthy of your attentions."

"Do not make me regret promoting you, Nathanos. Your position is to advise me in matters of war and the state of our troops. Any further comments about my personal life will end with my carving your tongue out of your mouth." She snapped.

* * *

 **ORGRIMMAR, ONE MONTH LATER**

They came through the gates of Orgrimmar, beginning their parade through the capital city of the Horde. Aelwynn shifted on her Prowler, Ashpaw and as they rode past Grommash Hold, she nodded her head to several orc citizens who cheered and raised fists in the air. She turned to her companions, the Soldiers of Misfortune, consisting of her usual group sprinkled with a few new faces. She now trained her own group of archers from each race. Two fairly new undead, a couple who had lived just outside of Ambermill, a female tauren from Thunder Bluff, a male troll and goblin, and a young blood elf.

Vol'jin, current Warchief of the Horde rode up to join them on his own mount, a fierce looking crimson raptor with pale blue eyes. "Nightstrida, I be glad to welcome ya back from da frontlines." He said.

She nodded respectfully. "Thank you, Warchief. We're glad to be back."

Vol'jin turned and nodded to the group. "I be thankin ya all. Ya been fightin to honor da Horde, and ya deserve ya rest." He turned to Aelwynn. "I need ta be speakin to ya alone a moment." He said.

Aelwynn turned and waved the Forsaken couple up. "Montaygne, Kennidee, could the two of you lead the rest of these young hunters with the rest of the Soldiers? I need to speak with our Warchief for a moment."

Montaygne nodded, tugging the reins of his undead charger. "Of course, Commander." He rasped.

Kennidee nodded as well, her movements jerky and seemingly uncoordinated. "Absolutely, Commander. Come and find us if you need us?" She asked.

Aelwynn smiled. "Of course." She replied.

* * *

She followed Vol'jin into Grommash Hold, glancing around to find the stronghold of the Horde empty.

Her warchief turned, straightening and looking at the hunter. "As I said before, I be glad ya be back where ya belong. Now, I been readin' up on da reports from ya garrison. Ya handled yaself well, Nightstrida. My one worry be dis, ya seem ta still be on edge."

Aelwynn sighed, pulling off her gauntlet and scrubbed her face with her bare hand. "It's nothing. I'm just trying to get used to the atmosphere around here again...and the heat." She said, smirking slightly as she looked at the troll.

He chuckled, nodding his head, his red mohawk swaying with the motion. "I be undastandin dat. Some of de othas be havin dat issue too." He eyed her for a moment, his gaze concerned and warm. "Aelwynn, I heard about ya problems wit da Banshee Queen. Ya know she an da Regent Lord both gonna be at da ceremony..."

Aelwynn stiffened, looking over Vol'jin's shoulder. "Don't worry, Warchief. I'll keep my actions in check." She said.

The troll shook his head. "I know ya still be havin issues. I trust ya ta do what ya be needin to." He turned, grabbing a scroll off the arm of the throne. "As ya Warchief, and a friend, I be presentin ya with new armor, somethin dat be fittin a Commanda of da Horde. A hero of da Horde. Da leathaworkas have da materials and my ordas, ya gonna head ova dere now and get dem started on it. I be wantin ya ta be wearin ya new armor at da ceremony two days from now." He waved her off as she tried to speak. "Go. Ya gonna need to go get fitted for it and den you gonna rest. Ya look like ya be needin it."

* * *

She stood in front of the mirror at the leatherworking shop in the drag, adjusting the fittings to her gauntlets. Her armor was black, and feral in look which matched her personality almost too perfectly. The pauldrons were black skulls of some sort of demon or beast, with long canines and a green glow backlighting the teeth. The eyes of the emulated skulls were tiny skulls themselves, with a spike in the center of the pauldrons near the curve of her shoulder. The accents to the armor were a greyish black, with an onyx gem in the center of the chest and brown and green around the midsection and ribcage. The legs were the same standard black and dark grey, as were the boots. She nodded to the leatherworker, passing over a large tip. She'd offered him a good sum of money but he had refused, telling her that it was the Horde's way of thanking her for exemplary service. He offered to store her armor until she needed it for the evening's ceremony and she accepted gratefully.

She mounted her Skeletal Warhorse once again and headed to the barbers. Her hair, as much pride as she had taken in it as a young girl, was driving her crazy. It was growing far too long and due to its thickness was getting too heavy for her tastes. She dismounted, tied her warhorse to the hitching post outside and stepped in the door. A female goblin turned around from her maintenance of the shop and smiled. "Hiya honey, what can I do for you today?" She asked.

"I need a haircut, badly." Aelwynn said, pulling the leather tie out of her hair.

"Alright, take a seat and we'll get it taken care of for ya." The goblin said. "Now, what kinda style are ya thinking?" She asked.

Aelwynn settled into the chair and leaned her head back, looking up toward the ceiling. "Short." She said, pointing to one of the hairstyles featured on the poster next to the barber station.

"Ooh, a human's haircut on an elf, this should be interesting." The stylist said, grinning.

Aelwynn relaxed, every once in a while an ear twitching as the goblin moved around them to style her hair. She opened her eyes as she felt a pat on her shoulder.

"Alright, honey, what do you think?" The young goblin asked.

Aelwynn sat up, looking at her new hairstyle in the mirror, and nodded in satisfaction. "Perfect." She said, brushing her fingers through the short locks and ruffling it a bit. She turned to the goblin, smiling and handing her a pouch of gold coins.

* * *

"Commander, the Dark Lady and Regent Lord Lor'themar have arrived." Montaygne said as he stepped in the door of the leatherworker.

Aelwynn fixed the clasps of her cape on her shoulders and turned, nodding to the undead. "Thank you, Montaygne." She said.

He nodded and headed back out of the Drag toward Grommash Hold.

She turned back to the mirror, brushing down the front of her tabard and straightening her gauntlets again.

"My word, new armor and a new haircut...I think you may be trying to impress someone." She heard and turned at the sound of her cousin's voice.

Tarin Proudrunner leaned against the counter of the leatherworker's shop, smirking. "So, what was the reason behind the haircut, not that it's a bad thing." She said.

Aelwynn straightened the belt on her armor as she turned, shifting her feet in her boots and adjusting to the fit of the armor. "I've been stuck on a planet for two years with a race of people that prefer to leave their hair long, I was getting to the point where there was more hair than I was able to manage. This way it's out of my face." She said, brushing the fingers of her gauntlet through the short tresses.

* * *

 **I don't know about y'all, but a haircut always seems to help me out, even if it's a trim. Now that she's back on Azeroth, that she's gotten her new armor and had a chance to take care of herself for a minute, things should hopefully be looking up! You guys know what to do! Leave a review and favorite if you like and I promise the next update will be far sooner than a few months!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4 is up! This is just a little bit of filler before we really dive into Legion. Enjoy!**

* * *

Sylvanas attended the celebration with reluctance, greeting the returning troops that had been stationed on Draenor. She had hardly recognized her former lover when the woman sat down with her fellow archers. Aelwynn was agile, but the edge to her movements made her seem far more like a feral predator than an accomplished hunter. She was wearing new armor, the black and brown adding to her new look. To top it all off, she'd cut her hair. The once long blonde tresses were now short, spiked and messy.

* * *

As Aelwynn glanced around taking stock of the people surrounding them she felt Sylvanas' gaze on her and did her best to ignore the feeling. It had been nearly two years since she had last laid eyes on the Banshee Queen and it was just as painful to be near her as it had been when the hunter had left. She felt a hand on her shoulder and glanced up to see Lor'themar looking down at her with a smile.

"Welcome back to Azeroth, Commander." He said, his voice carrying over the people at the table.

"Thank you, Regent Lord." She said formally, standing up and shaking his hand.

He leaned toward her, speaking low into her ear. "I know you don't want to see her, and you want to be here even less, but please don't feel like you can't enjoy your time. We're all glad to see you back home where you belong. When you're free, come back to Quel'thalas, and bring your archers with you. Halduron wants you to start training some of our rangers and he knows that your group is the best for a reason."

Aelwynn looked up at the Regent Lord with a smirk. "You want me back in civilized company...I've been living in the wilderness for the past two years. My habits would shock even the most relaxed elves. Besides..." She began, sighing and glancing in Sylvanas' direction, "I'd need a personal mage in order to come and go. I've been banned from Forsaken lands, with the threat of death and possible resurrection should I step foot there."

Lor'themar frowned, glancing over at Sylvanas. "Let me talk to her, maybe we can make an arrangement."

Aelwynn chuckled hollowly, shaking her head. "Don't waste your breath Regent Lord. Just have a mage ready with a portal to Silvermoon, I'll figure out how to get back and forth once I'm there. I'm resourceful like that." She said with a smirk.

* * *

 **QUEL'THALAS, THREE WEEKS LATER**

"Again! You all need to remember that as a hunter you have to be in top physical form." She said, grabbing one of the male blood elves by the back of his tunic and hauling him to his feet.

"Dunno what her problem is but I'm sure I could fix it." A young goblin named Grommett said to the orc next to him.

The orc, Agadora, turned to him with a scoff and a shake of her head. "You'd best watch out, she'll end up _fixing_ you."

"Move out! And pace yourselves together. Move as fast as your slowest person. You're going to need to remember that!"

"Oh I'll move fast." Grommett spoke up suggestively.

Aelwynn turned, her eyes narrowed. "Hold!" She said, looking the small green goblin over. "Grommett, is it?" She asked.

"Yep, that's me." He said, smirking at her and giving her a wink.

Her bow was in her hand and an arrow was strung before he finished his affirmation. "You're going to do yourself a favor, Grommett. If you _ever_ speak to a woman of _any_ race in such a disrespectful tone again, you will no longer have the ability to speak. Should you continue pursuing women that aren't interested, you'll have no need for a woman because there will be nothing left for you to reproduce with. Am I understood?" She asked.

"Yes ma'am." He said hurriedly.

"Good. Now, move out." She said, gesturing to the open field. "When you return, we'll begin close quarters combat."

Montaygne stood off to her left, shaking his head. "Remind me never to get on your bad side, Commander." He said with a cackle.

Aelwynn turned with a smirk. "Don't worry about it, Montaygne. You're safe."

* * *

Carlisle dismounted his hawkstrider before it had stopped, the bird squawking out a startled noise and halted abruptly. He took off toward the field, shouting for Aelwynn.

He spotted her training with Zen'talon, one of the hunters she had fought alongside on Draenor.

"Aelwynn. You're needed in Orgrimmar. Now." He said quickly.

She sheathed her blade, turning to Montaygne. "I'll let the Regent Lord know you and Zen are training in my stead." She said.

"Of course." The undead replied, heading over to the group of archers.

She turned, adjusting her bow and quiver and following the Monk quickly. "What's going on?" She asked.

He called the hawkstrider over, mounting the bird and grabbing her hand as she hauled herself up behind him. "It's the Legion. They're invading...everywhere. Two ships just appeared over Northern Barrens about an hour ago. Vol'jin wants you to take a group and go check things out."

* * *

As they reached the main hall in Silvermoon Aelwynn hopped off the hawkstrider, jogging up to Lor'Themar as Carlisle followed. "Vol'jin needs me in Orgrimmar. You've heard about the invasions?" She asked.

Lor'Themar nodded. "I have. I've put the city on high alert, I'm recalling your trainees back to help with defense. How many of them can fight?" He asked.

She nodded. "They all can. Just make sure Montaygne and Zen'talon are up to date on what's going on. The two of them should be able to help if any of the new archers need it."

"Good luck." He said, resting a hand on her shoulder and looking at the two of them with his good eye.

"Thanks." Carlisle replied as they headed to the portal room.

As the Drag shimmered into her view she took off up the ramp, heading for the Valley of Strength.

"Aelwynn!" She heard as she ran toward Grommash Hold and turned, finding the rest of the Soldiers of Misfortune as they came to the Hold from the opposite direction. She nodded to them all, making eye contact with her cousin. "We're going to be hitting the ground running. The main thing to remember is reconnaissance first. As soon as we know what we're up against we'll begin the attack. Just keep an eye on each other, on the group, and if we're sent in with people we're not familiar with make sure you're adaptable."

* * *

"WATCH THAT FLANK!" She shouted, pointing at a group of demonic hounds that had tried to come at them from behind.

Loki and Nikola were battling a Fury, the Death Knight backing off as it unleashed a flurry of attacks.

Sif hurled her shield at the hounds, she and Bulliam taking off toward them as the shield ricocheted off their skulls.

Proudrunner fought just opposite Carlisle, her blades glinting in the heat of the sun baring down on them.

Esme stood next to Aelwynn, furiously casting healing spells over the group as she saw injuries appear. "This is ridiculous." The hunter growled, firing a torrent of arrows into the air, stringing another as they sunk into the skulls and hides of the hounds. She turned, firing off a black arrow, grim satisfaction filling her as an eredar warrior fell face first into the grass, the plagued beast that was called with the magic in the arrow dispatching the warrior's team almost effortlessly.

"Commander!" She heard, glancing in the direction of the call and saw her troop of hunters barreling across the field.

"Montaygne! You should all be in Silvermoon." She barked, side-stepping into Esme as a bolt of felfire whirled passed her.

The undead grinned, nocking his own arrow and gesturing for the new group to join the fray. "And let you rack up all the kills?" He and Aelwynn focused their shots on the Fury, the blood elf unsheathing her blade and cutting down a group of imps that had charged toward them.

"Fine, let me make this clear, the lot of you will stay here, protect Esme and the other healers. If I see any of you cross the defenses you _will_ die. I would rather have you all here, protected by one another, by the defenses and fending off attacks on our healers than have any of you in a position you're not ready for. Remember! Your healers are most important. If you don't have a healer, don't bother fighting. Especially demons. Now, who's ready to show these demons who the true masters of Azeroth are?!" She yelled, grinning widely as the hunters, and healers as well, gave a battle cry. "READY YOUR ARROWS!" She shouted, taking off to help Carlisle and her cousin with two felguards. "FIRE!"

They fought for hours, felling demon after demon. When the field was finally clear of the enemy Aelwynn whistled sharply, sheathing her blade and waving the group back into the defensive front.

"Fall back to the Crossroads. We'll rotate patrols with the guards and other guilds in the area. Make sure you all get some rest. This is far from over." She said, nodding to the large group.

* * *

 **ONE MONTH LATER**

"Send her in with the second wave." Sylvanas said as she, Vol'jin and Baine looked over the battleplans.

The chieftain of the Tauren looked up from the scouting map in confusion. "Lady Sylvanas, we need her on the frontlines..." he said quietly.

She glanced up in fury at Baine. "I said send her in with the second wave. We have enough warriors on the frontlines as it is."

Vol'jin held a three fingered hand up. "I undastand where ya comin from, Dark Lady, we gonna need a strong second wave. Puttin her wit Thrall and da othas gonna be a good bet. But we gonna need her if we gonna ensure some kinda victory here."

"Then it's settled. I'll go inform the Forsaken and Sin'dorei troops to be ready before the sun rises." Sylvanas said, turning to leave the room.

"Hold, Dark Lady. I must speak wit ya a moment." The Warchief said.

Sylvanas froze, turning slowly, her face unreadable. "Warchief?"

Vol'jin waved her back to his private chambers within Grommash Hold. "I be wonderin why ya so against bringin Nightstridah in wit da first group. And don't go sayin it be because of da otha troops. What be goin on?" He asked.

Sylvanas raised her chin, her crimson eyes narrowing. "Sending her in with the first group would only cause a distraction. If she comes with the second group, we can be assured that should the first defense fall, we'll be able to maintain the line. She may be a warrior of sorts, but she's a strategist first."

Vol'jin crouched, eyeing the Banshee Queen. "And dis not be a play for personal gain? I seen da two of ya fight togetha, ya be a force ta be reckoned wit."

Sylvanas glared at the troll. "I can assure you, Warchief, that if you place her on the frontline, she'll end up dead. She has no shortage of enemies among the Horde and Alliance alike."

"But you be her closest ally, yes?" Vol'jin asked.

Sylvanas lowered her head, frowning. "I was...after the fiasco with Hellscream's trial, we parted ways. I forced her to leave."

Vol'jin frowned at that. "Have ya been in contact wit her since she came back from Draenor?"

The former High Elf shook her head.

"How could she have, she ordered her troops to kill Aelwynn on sight if she crossed into Forsaken territories. I'm surprised one of them didn't try to murder her in her garrison." Lor'themar said from the doorway.

Vol'jin straightened, eyeing Sylvanas. "Ya afraid one a ya troops is gonna kill her while we fightin...or are you gonna be da one ta take her life?" He asked.

Sylvanas balked. "Warchief, I assure you, I have no plan to murder my..." She paused, unable to finish. "My first mistake was allowing myself to believe that I could love again. My second was...my second was falling in love with her. I will truthfully say, there isn't a passing day when I don't regret allowing her to get that close to me."

* * *

Aelwynn stood just off of the cliff face, taking down demons one by one as they raced up the hill. She could hear the Alliance soldiers below them, hear the singing of the arrows that flew from Sylvanas' and her rangers bows, the clash and clang of swords, maces and axes against the demons' armor and weapons.

She turned as she saw Go'el go down, running over and letting loose a band of arrows as she skidded on her knees next to him.

"Dey're comin from behind, cova da flank!" She heard Vol'jin yell, followed by his scream. She turned, looking to where he was standing, impaled by a demon polearm. She heard Sylvanas yell for him. He broke the blade and killed the demon, collapsing into the corrupted soil.

Aelwynn dispatched the demon nearest to her and Baine, gesturing for him to help Go'el as she covered them. A felbat screeched overhead and she let an arrow fly, hearing the distinct whinny and clap of Sylvanas' horse's hooves. She turned after downing another fel guard, watching Sylvanas haul Vol'jin up onto her horse.

"Do not let da Horde die dis day..." Vol'jin breathed.

Aelwynn turned as the Val'kyr horn was blown, and she killed another demon who was storming toward the group of injured Horde soldiers.

"Aelwynn, we have to move!" Baine shouted.

She turned, waving him off. "Take him to the ship. I've got to let the Alliance know!" She shouted as she took off for the cliff.

* * *

She stood at the edge, watching the swarming mass of demons encircling the Alliance and shook her head. She took down as many as she could, shouting for the Alliance leader.

"Wrynn! Pull your people back! Vol'jin has fallen! Get out of there!" She screamed, pointing to the gunship when he looked up at her.

His face was furious, as if he fully expected the Horde to abandon them.

She looked around, deciding she would have to get down there somehow.

A felbat shrieked over her head and she jumped, landing hard on the creature's back. It swooped down in an effort to shake her, nearly crashing into the ground. She leapt off, flipping over the Alliance leaders heads as they gathered.

"What are you doing here? Come to die with the abandoned?" Varian snapped, glaring at the hunter as she took a shot behind him.

She turned until they were back to back. "No, they had to retreat, we were getting swarmed. Vol'jin and Go'el are down. Sylvanas wasn't going to pull out but he ordered it. We were losing numbers too quickly. You should do the same. Pull your people back to your gunship and get out of here."

* * *

She hung from the ladder of the gunship, watching in horror as Varian flung himself off and took down the fel reaver. ' _I should have stayed down there...covered them._ ' She thought. She was pulled up onto the deck where Genn Greymane snagged her by the throat.

"I should kill you right here and now." He roared.

She bared her teeth at him. "Take your best shot, dog."

He growled, releasing her as the ship lurched.

They made it out over the water and started a steady climb. She could see Sylvanas' ship down below and sneered disgustedly at Genn.

"I'll let my people know that King Wrynn sacrificed himself to save the Alliance. And me." She said, vaulting over the railing and onto the rope ladder where she gained enough leverage to fling herself off into the water.

* * *

Nathanos hauled the blood elf up onto the deck, sneering. "One of your less intelligent ideas, Nightstrider."

Aelwynn narrowed her eyes, shaking off the water on her hands before turning and punching him in the face.

His head rocked back and he grabbed her wrist before she could strike him again, drawing his sword and bringing it up to her neck. "Do that again and there will be nothing left for Sylvanas to piece together." He snapped.

"Next time try being more useful, Blightcaller. I know she didn't pick you as an advisor for your looks. You're one of the more hideous humans I've ever seen, living or dead. So it must have been for your brain. Not that you used that at all today." She sneered.

"Nathanos." Sylvanas snapped, glaring at her advisor. "Put your weapon away and leave her be."

Aelwynn turned as he let go, eyeing Sylvanas angrily. "Unlike your new advisor, I can take care of myself." She said waspishly, turning and heading below deck.

Sylvanas followed her, grabbing the hunter's arm and dragging her into the captains quarters. "I will _not_ be spoken to in such a manner." She said.

Aelwynn jerked her arm away, glaring furiously at her former lover and pointing at her. "Then do yourself a favor and don't speak to me at all. For your own sake." She spat, watching the flinch on Sylvanas' face. She'd thrown her own phrase back at her, with intent to hurt the former High Elf.

* * *

 **So things are going to get better, right now they're both kinda thrown for a loop after a couple years apart. Tell me what you think!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Okay, so sorry for the delayed update, I recently got a new job, have had to deal with my dad in the ICU with pneumonia, but I'm back! Hopefully the following chapters will be up quicker. Thanks for sticking around everyone!**

* * *

Lor'themar pulled Aelwynn aside, leaning down to whisper in her ear. "Vol'jin wants you in Grommash Hold with the rest of the leaders." He said quietly.

Aelwynn frowned, glancing at the entrance to the Hold before looking up at the leader of her people. "I'm a battlefield commander, not a faction leader." She replied.

He shook his head. "You've been on the front lines of every major battle we've had since the Blood Elves joined the Horde, Aelwynn. You're a leader in your own right, and your experience and knowledge is more valuable than you realize. Besides, our armies look to you for leadership during times of war. You're a strategist, and are never afraid to be in the thick of things."

The hunter sighed, shaking her head. "I don't see why I need to be in there. My presence won't change the outcome of whatever happens. I think it's a bad idea for me to be in there. I should be out here with my guild, with my rangers."

Lor'themar scowled. "You need to be in there, Aelwynn. For Vol'jin, for the Horde."

"You know how much I hate political gatherings of any kind, Regent Lord. The less I'm exposed to the political atmosphere, the better. I learned my lesson two years ago when my relationship with a faction leader came to a grinding halt, so if it's all the same to you and the others, I'd prefer to stay out of it."

He scoffed in annoyance, grabbing her by her upper arms. "Put aside your personal issues for a moment, Commander. The Warchief is injured, possibly dying. He wants you in there with the rest of us. So do us all a favor and stifle that impossibly large ego of yours, swallow your pride, and stand in the same gods-damned room with her long enough to figure out what's going on."

* * *

Aelwynn glanced back at Sylvanas as she stared at the throne of the Warchief. She stopped in the doorway, closing her eyes and sighing. She turned, walking slowly back up to Sylvanas and stood off to her right, her eyes on the floor. "Warchief, my guild and I will gather the civilians of the Horde and send out messages to all factions that wish to attend the funeral." She said quietly, watching her former lover for any sign of acknowledgement.

Sylvanas glanced her way, noticing how much older Aelwynn looked. _'Say something...'_ She thought to herself, unable to form any words as she looked over at her hunter. The thought startled her. _'Deny it all you like, Sylvanas, you know she's still yours...she always has been, and will always be. Even if you ruined any chance of reconciliation, whatever is left of your cold, black heart belongs to her.'_

Aelwynn looked up, her gaze meeting the Banshee Queen's and she looked away quickly, shifting her stance and trying to suppress the discomfort she felt meeting those crimson orbs. _'Why isn't she saying anything?'_ She thought to herself. She took a deep breath, nodding and heading toward the door.

"Commander."

She froze in the doorway once again, and glanced over her shoulder.

"Gather the civilians and troops as quickly as you can. The Legion will not wait for us to mourn."

Aelwynn nodded and stepped out of the entrance to Grommash Hold.

* * *

They watched the pyre as it was slowly engulfed in flames, the members of the Soldiers of Misfortune spread throughout the crowd as they waited for The Banshee Queen to address them. Aelwynn stood toward the back of the gathering, as far away from the Warchief and her advisor as possible.

She made eye contact with Tarin and Bulliam, both nodding back to her as they kept watch over the crowd, and her gaze travelled over the sea of people gathered at the base of the pyre. She looked up as Sylvanas turned and addressed the crowd. "Vol'jin is dead." She began, and Aelwynn watched the crowd as they turned their attention completely to their new Warchief. "Who among you will help me avenge him?"

The cries and shouts filled the air, the loyalty of all members of the Horde unquestioned at that moment. She met Sylvanas gaze across the crowd and bowed her head, saluting her Warchief. Her gaze caught a figure heading toward the pyre from the far right and pulled her sword, slipping through the crowd and meeting the woman before she made it to the bottom of the ramp. She drew her sword, noticing immediately that the Blood Elf had the horns and tattoos of a demon. "Take one step further and your blood will spill on this ground, demon." She said. The woman held up her hands, making no move to draw her warglaives and Aelwynn felt the cloth covered gaze rest on her.

"Commander, I'm making you the liason to the Illidari, they've set up a camp near the zeppelin towers. Go speak with them and learn what you can. If they betray the Horde, we'll use their knowledge against them." Sylvanas said.

The hunter nodded. "As you wish, Warchief."

"Good. Nathanos and I will have our forces out here clean up."

* * *

Aelwynn watched as others filed onto the ship. She'd met with Allari the Souleater, a member of the Illidari that had come to Orgrimmar as a liason. The Demon Hunter had spoken of the Broken Isles and the threat the Legion posed to the whole of Azeroth. Aelwynn had known the threat, but having someone completely trained to fight the demonic forces had brought the immediate danger into perspective.

"Commander. The Forsaken have a fleet of ships heading for Stormheim, the Warchief wants to establish a port there." Montaygne said quietly.

Aelwynn sighed, pulling her hands behind her back and pacing slowly. "Small crews, yes?" She asked, stopping and turning to eye the map.

Montaygne nodded. "Yes. About two hundred troops in total. Some will be establishing footholds, others will branch out and start exploring the area, possibly reach out to the locals." He rasped.

She scowled, shaking her head. "We have members of the Horde stationed all over the Isles. Why send me to Stormheim?" Aelwynn looked up as Lor'themar and Baine came in. She nodded her head.

"Blightcaller is going to be there as well." He said.

Montaygne frowned. "So if the Forsaken Champion is going to be there, why are they sending Commander Nightstrider?"

The Regent Lord shrugged inelegantly. "It could be a number of reasons. He's fallen out of favor with several of the Ambassadors. His methods when it comes to diplomacy are...lacking."

Aelwynn snorted. "Saving face are we, Regent Lord? Lacking in diplomacy? As much as I can't stand the thought of dealing with the machinations you have to put up with, Blightcaller is a man of action. He belongs on the battlefield, or at the very least in a position where he can oversee troop movements. Hardly surprising given his background."

* * *

She quietly climbed the steps of the Alliance airship, her sensitive hearing catching the sound of angry voices and clashing blades. Nathanos had made it to the airship before her and was currently trading both words and blows with Greymane. Her ears pinned back and she grit her teeth, her lips curling back to reveal her canines. Aelwynn was sick of both men, the mongrel and the champion, and wanted nothing more than to let the two of them finish each other off. She fired off a black arrow as she reached the top of the stairs, narrowing her eyes as the worgen leader turned to eye her.

"YOU!" He shouted, charging her as a grey mist surrounded his human form, the beast emerging as she dodged out of the way of a swipe to the throat.

"Shut up, dog!" She yelled in return, her eyes blazing golden. "Who told the members of the Alliance that the Horde had abandoned you all to die?! Was it you?!" She snarled. "The last thing we need right now is to be at each other's throats. In case you haven't noticed," she pointed to the south, where the sight of a nauseating fel green and grey cloud hovered over the Broken Shore, "we have more important things to worry about than your damned grudge. I don't like you any more than you like anyone in the Horde, but for gods sakes...just stop."

Nathanos bared his teeth. "So like the foul pup I've seen so many times, Nightstrider. Trying to entreat, one mongrel to another. There is no time for peace. We are at war."

She turned, firing off a stun arrow to shut the Champion up, which gave Greymane pause.

"Listen to me, Greymane, please...I know how much you despise Sylvanas. But stop focusing on vengeance for one moment and just think. If the Horde and Alliance don't work together to end the threat of the Legion, we're all doomed. We both saw what Gul'dan did to King Varian. We can't keep fighting like this while the Legion is bearing down on Azeroth or we'll have no chance at all."

The leader of the Worgen glared at her. "I will not stop my people from attacking any member of the Horde if they attempt to take over any of our camps. But I will not actively go after the Horde until this situation is dealt with. You've proven to me just now that you are willing to set aside differences in order to make sure our world lives on."

She nodded. "Good. Just, hold off on attacking the Horde until after Gul'dan and his ilk are dealt with, please."

"So, did you wish to tell him it was a stray arrow that froze him in place? I will do what is necessary to hold your cover, if so."

Aelwynn shook her head. "No. To be honest, I've wanted to do that to him since I met him. Felt good."

"Good, did it?" She heard, and a hand grabbed the back of her neck, hauling her into the air. She felt the point of a sword slide against the armor at her back and tensed as she felt the pressure increase around her throat.

"Go ahead. You kill me, and he'll finish you off." She rasped. "Just remember, you kill me, and Sylvanas won't be happy. I'm an asset on the battlefield, remember?"

Nathanos growled, and the sound reminded her of a crypt door opening. She dropped to the ground, catching herself on her hands and knees and rubbed at her throat. "Still lacking intelligence..." She coughed. "Too bad Sylvanas didn't make you smarter when she shoved you into your dead cousin's body."

The Champion yelled, driving a booted foot into her side before whistling for his riding bat. "Get back under your own power, whelp. Losing you on this boat would be a boon to me. I'm closer to Sylvanas than you will _ever_ be."

* * *

Aelwynn sighed as she landed at the Trueshot Lodge, the home of the elite group of hunters known as The Unseen Path. As she took in the sights and sounds of the camps and groups set up around the grounds of the lodge, she glanced up the pathway and froze in her tracks. Vereesa Windrunner stood outside the door, speaking to some of the new recruits that had joined the Unseen Path. She slipped past the group of hunters and into the Lodge, frowning as the sound of footsteps followed her. She looked over her shoulder, her gaze meeting the glowing eyes of a female night elf, who Aelwynn assumed was the leader of the Unseen Path.

"Commander Nightstrider, such a pleasure to finally meet you. Welcome to the Trueshot Lodge, home of the Unseen Path. My name is Emmarel Shadewarden." A large white eagle perched on the railing of the stairs next to Emmarel, the sharp, intelligent gaze settling on Aelwynn.

"Huntmistress Shadewarden, nice to meet you." Aelwynn said shortly, glancing around the lodge. There were hunters from every race present, most surprising was a small contingent of gnomes that trooped through the front door, excited voices chattering on about their first hunts in Highmountain.

"I'll have one of our members show you to your room here in the Lodge, feel free to come and go as you please, but continue to be reachable. We have many missions that need to be taken care of while we're here."

* * *

She was in the Lodge again, after spending weeks in Stormheim, Azuna and Highmountain, working her way steadily over the continent and dealing with the unfamiliar races there. Aelwynn had become somewhat of an ambassador, working with the Highmountain Tauren, the few friendly Vrykul, and the ghosts in the Court of Farondis as she traveled, and was still attempting to maintain the peace between her troops and those of the Alliance. The less time they spent in Dalaran, the less chance they had of running into members of the opposing faction as they were roaming the wilds of the newly explored land, which was a good thing she supposed. They'd spent weeks fighting off Legion invasion parties all over the continent.

She was called in to speak with Emmarel Shadewarden and sent a list of new recruits to Montaygne for he and Zen'talon to tag team into shape.

"You're to take Vereesa Windrunner to the camps and look for Alleria." Emmarel Shadewarden said, a serious look on her face.

Aelwynn grit her teeth. "Of course." She ground out, turning to find the leader of the Silver Covenant. "Nightstrider... This is something you're doing on your own. If you attempt to bring any others into it, I will personally see you jailed." Shadewarden said, waving the hunter off with a smug look. _

* * *

She dismounted from Ashpaw quickly, drawing her bow and crouching. "There. If we can make it down that path we should be able to clear the camp fairly easily." She said, motioning to the path near the opposite ridge.

Vereesa nodded, turning hesitantly to the younger hunter. "I wanted to apologize, for what happened with Hellscream. I couldn't..."

"Couldn't finish the job? Couldn't leave well enough alone? Couldn't not let that pathetic little human Prince have one more shot at possibly turning the monster?" Aelwynn turned, fury and pain flashing in her gaze.

"She lost _everything_ the day you betrayed her. Everything. She lost trust, her sanity, nearly lost her life. She lost me. So, unless you're here to give me permission to deliver every bit of suffering she had to go through, or to let me push you into a pool of fel lava and listen to you scream as you burn, then I suggest you shut the hell up. I'm not here to listen to your pitiful excuses. I'm here to do this mission and find your sister. I can only hope you don't betray her the same way you did Sylvanas."

Vereesa sighed, dropping her chin to her chest. "I couldn't leave my sons."

Aelwynn turned with a scowl. "Why didn't you mention them before?"

Vereesa shrugged. "I assumed that the two of you knew I had children."

Aelwynn sighed, pulling an arrow and drawing it back, eyeing the felguard that marched ahead. "I doubt it would have changed much for her, but I could have explained it to her. It probably wouldn't have worked..." She let the arrow fly, the black mist streaking through the air as it hit its target. The felguard hollered as an undead hound crawled from the ground and attacked. The two took it down quickly before moving on.

"You're able to use her arrows?" Vereesa asked.

Aelwynn's features tightened. "It's easier to use them when you've been close to her. Her magic and energy lingers. It's why Undercity has its share of Warlocks and Rangers. I don't know why it works still. Maybe a holdover from the bond." She muttered the last sentence, jerking to a halt when Vereesa grabbed her upper arm and tugged her back.

"You bonded to her?!" She asked harshly.

Aelwynn bared her canines. "Yes. I bonded to her. Which is why I am trying so hard to die out here!" She retorted angrily.

"She threw me out. Banished me from Undercity. Told her guards that if I was to step into Forsaken territory I would be killed with the possibility of being raised as a slave. That is what you did! Azshara's teeth, do any of you Windrunners think before you act?! You betrayed her and she snapped. I lived in my garrison on Draenor for two years...I was stuck on an entirely different planet because I didn't have a home to come back to."

She shook her head furiously, gripping her bow tightly.

"All I've wanted since she forbade me from returning was to go back. And when Vol'jin made her Warchief, I knew that wasn't going to happen. Now..." Aelwynn's voice shook and her shoulders dropped. "I just...I just want to die. This bond...what's left of it is just sustaining my torment."

Vereesa could see the hopeless resignation on the young hunter's face.

* * *

Aelwynn stood before the Forge, holding Thas'dorah and feeling the constant, ever-present weight of guilt and pain settle on her shoulders. The disastrous mission was proof that this was her life now. Mate bonded to a woman who wanted nothing to do with her, carrying the legacy of the Windrunner's, and no hope of escaping her fate.

* * *

 **Oh dear, things are not going well...we'll just have to stay tuned in and see when things clear up. (trust me, they will, but as they always say, it's darkest before the dawn) Thanks for reading!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Calm before the storm? Nah, not really. Enjoy guys!**

* * *

Aelwynn stood in a darkened corner of the Trueshot Lodge, staring at the tattered remains of her armor on its stand. It was her off week, when the rotation of the Unseen Path would all but force the highest ranking members to 'relax'. There was no relaxation for the Blood Elf, nor for her inner beast, with the Legion bearing down on Azeroth and the death of Vol'jin still foremost on the minds of the Horde members. Her gaze dropped to the bow in her hand, both a blessing and a curse to the hunter. Thas'dorah was a beautiful bow, and any wielder felt the history in the ancient weapon, but for Aelwynn it brought more pain than pride.

When Vol'jin died he proclaimed her former lover, Sylvanas Windrunner as the leader of the Horde. She still felt the strands of what should have been a mate-bond that linked the two women thrumming through her, yet the resonance was faint where it had once been powerful and nearly all consuming. Things had changed since the end of the Pandaria campaign, when Sylvanas' sister Vereesa had betrayed her older sister's trust. Her inability to poison the monster Hellscream and weakness when it came to her compassion had shattered the remains of Sylvanas' heart, and due to the carelessness of the youngest Windrunner, Aelwynn had lost her love to anguish and pain. The bitterness that rode on Aelwynn's shoulders had taken the compassionate heart of the hunter and hardened it to nearly all that spoke to her.

Her meeting a week ago with Lor'themar had more than proved that, when he asked for an audience with the Huntmistress of the Unseen Path, and spent the majority of the meeting in a stony, uncomfortable silence. His last words to her were ones of hesitant comfort, to hang on to the memories and to keep hope alive, because he knew what Sylvanas' true feelings were, though she was currently unable to admit them to even herself.

* * *

Archdruid Bulliam and Tarin Proudrunner met in Dalaran, both worried for their Hunter friend. "She hasn't left the lodge, and they won't let either of us in there at all." Tarin said, balancing the tip of a throwing dagger on a gloved fingertip. Bulliam shook out his mane, far more comfortable in his feral form and nodded.

"One of us has to talk to the Warchief, this has gone on too long. The two of them are miserable. It's gotten to the point where even Abby won't go anywhere near Undercity or Orgrimmar, and she's barely into her formal training." He replied.

Tarin tilted her head, staring blankly at the various goblets left on the table from the former group. "Maybe we won't have to. Don't get me wrong, I love my cousin to pieces, but maybe being apart from the Dark Lady will knock some sense into her."

Bulliam huffed, shaking his head. "Apparently you're the one needing some sense knocked into them. Velonara said that when Aelwynn came back from that mission to rescue Alleria she was different. Colder." He knew Tarin had never liked the Banshee Queen, an opinion it seemed she was determined to hold onto.

Proudrunner rolled her eyes. "Yeah, I'm sure you would have been too if you had to go on a rescue mission with your former lover's sister, who also happened to be the last person to betray said former lover. It's no wonder Vereesa made it out alive." She said.

Bulliam froze as Tarin prattled on, staring straight into the eyes of the youngest Windrunner. "What's up with your face? You look like you just saw a worg..."

Vereesa spoke. "Am I to assume I'm now the topic of popular conversation?" She said elegantly, an edge to her voice.

Tarin rolled her eyes, turning around. "I dunno, what do you think, Windrunner?" She snapped.

Bulliam cleared his throat. "I apologize for my friend here, she's still a little sore about some family issues."

Vereesa narrowed her eyes, studying the rogue. "I see...and would this family matter have anything to do with a sister of mine?"

Tarin scoffed. "Why would you care? Didn't seem to think much about her when you decided to let that monster Hellscream live, did you..." She stated angrily.

Vereesa grit her teeth. "How would you know about such a thing? You rogues are all alike, you know. Conniving, thieving little bastards who are willing to do just about anything for some coin."

Tarin smirked. "Tell me something I don't know...Now, you wanna know something? After your cowardly little stunt, your sister managed to kill half the animals in Tirisfal, fly into a rage and destroyed part of the ramparts of Lordaeron and then emotionally shut down. She and my cousin have gone their separate ways, _not_ Aelwynn's choice mind you. They have both been completely miserable since, and to be perfectly honest, she's been worse since that little trip she took with you to rescue your oldest sister. Let me ask you, do you care as much for Sylvanas as you do Alleria, because to be perfectly honest, I think you're allowing your prejudice for the undead cloud your judgment. If you would have given Sylvanas a chance I'm sure you would have seen what Aelwynn saw. Or maybe even seen parts of the sister you grew up with, but no, you pissed that chance away when you ran to the little human princeling and told him the food was poisoned. So if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go back to figuring out how to get my cousin out of the Lodge for a little while before she kills herself."

* * *

Velonara watched Aelwynn with sadness in her gaze. The Dark Ranger had hardly experienced any emotion due to her rise from undeath, but now she felt quite a bit. Her Queen had somehow found her humanity when she found this young elf, which had bolstered the Rangers serving her, but that had been lost due to a series of maddening events.

She felt as though she were a child in the middle of a messy separation of her parents, bouncing back and forth between them and never being asked about the other. Now, seeing the downward spiral of what she considered to be one of Azeroth's greatest hunters, she was frustrated beyond reason.

Aelwynn had long passed the casks of ale and bottles of elfmade wine and was now dipping heavily into her private stash of arcwine, an incredibly potent and highly dangerous alcohol to be drinking for anyone who was not Nightborne or a habitual user of arcane magics, and was sitting in the corner staring drunkenly into the flames of a freshly banked fire. Her ever present Spirit Beast was at her side, his ears pinned in distress. She knew the hunter was too far gone to hear her, so she called to the beautiful snow leopard, a flare of melancholy sparking in her chest when he sauntered up to her with his head hung in sorrow.

"Hello little one." She whispered, scratching him fondly behind an ear. Loki rumbled quietly, a soft keening noise in the back of his throat as he looked back at his mistress. "I know, little one, I know. We're going to fix this, I promise."

* * *

Sylvanas Windrunner stood on the dais of the Undercity Throne Room, watching the goings on of her Forsaken soldiers. Nathanos Blightcaller cleared his throat behind her and she turned to her left, raising a dispassionate brow and looking at her champion.

"Did you need something, Nathanos?" She asked thinly, turning her head and watching the doorway.

"You are aware that you are meeting with Theron this afternoon, yes?" He asked.

"I am." She replied. "What of it?"

"My Queen, you requested that the meeting be in private. I don't believe that to be wise." He stated.

She grit her teeth and turned to her Champion. "If I recall, I did not make you my champion so you could question my decisions, Nathanos. I made you my champion because you proved your worth on the battlefield." She snapped.

"And because your former champion abandoned her post when she decided to live in her garrison in Draenor." He replied glibly.

"Do not speak of things you know nothing about." Sylvanas hissed, one hand furiously grasping the hilt of her sword at her hip.

Nathanos held a hand up. "My apologies."

A Deathstalker bowed at the bottom of the dais. "Lady Sylvanas, Regent Lord Lor'themar Theron has arrived." He said as he knelt.

"Thank you Viktor. You are all dismissed. Viktor, Nathanos, stand watch at the door." She said as the Regent Lord of Silvermoon walked in the door.

"Regent Lord." Sylvanas said, bowing her head stiffly.

"Warchief." He replied with a bow.

Sylvanas led him to a little used meeting chamber off to the side of the dais, opening the door and striding in purposefully.

Lor'themar followed, closing behind him before taking a breath. "Velonara sent word to me two days ago that your former champion was found unconscious in her bunk. She failed to show for her posting and Velonara was the one to find her."

Sylvanas' unbeating heart sank. "I see." She looked to the floor for a moment, squaring her shoulders and looking back to Lor'themar. "And this concerns me how, exactly?" She said quietly, the edge in her ethereal voice unmistakable.

"Sylvanas...she is a member of your elite, you are the Warchief now. Not only that, you still care for her, that much I know. Just as I know she still loves you. Or is your heart that cold, that even gleaning the knowledge that your former lover is currently in some sort of mana induced coma due to drinking a dangerous Nightborne concoction, does not move you to want to act?"

Sylvanas froze mid-pace and turned, eyes wide. "She was drinking arcwine? We need to get her away from there. How much did she drink?" She asked.

Theron shrugged. "I have no idea. Velonara saw her sitting in the Lodge next to the fire a few nights before, but she made no indication as to how much Aelwynn had."

* * *

Aelwynn was trapped in an arcwine induced nightmare, where the bodies of her fellow guildmates had been twisted and maimed beyond recognition.

 _Her cousin, Tarin Proudrunner had been nearly torn to pieces, her armor in tatters and covered in blood, both her own and that of the many demons she had slain._

 _Archdruid Bulliam had died fighting in his feline form, the large lion sprawled and broken, his jaw nearly torn from his skull, his tail stripped of flesh. He was covered in gashes from the weapons of two Wrath Fury demons._

 _Carlisle, Esme, Loki, Sif and Nikola had all died in a group, the mage poisoned by the same type of blade that had killed Vol'jin, the paladin flying into a rage at the death of her husband. She had fought for what seemed like ages before her death came at the hands of an oversized fel guard. The monk and priest had finally fallen when an Infernal had landed in front of them, setting off the explosives on one of Gallywix's cronies supply wagon. They had been pelted with shards of wood, Carlisle taking one to the back as he shielded his wife, she took one to the neck._

 _Nikola, a rogue turned Death Knight went out in a blaze of glory, only calling on his army of ghouls, geists and shambling zombies when he had been completely overwhelmed. His arms and legs had been cleaved from his body, the rest of him set ablaze. His remains were surrounded by those he had raised to aide him._

 _The most disturbing was Illidormu, son of Nozdormu. The dragonkin, who so often adopted the guise of a blood elf warrior was on his stomach in Drake form, a demon battle axe cleaved in his forehead, a pool of blood beneath him where he'd been gutted mid air. Both monochromatic-tinted wings were torn and the long bones shattered, draped over him like a caricature of a Darkmoon tent. His muzzle was stained with demon blood, and a large limb was wedged between the razor sharp teeth that once gleamed a silvery blue._

 _The final scene was the worst. Gul'dan stood on a dais, a very familiar dais, one surrounded once by Forsaken, now demons stood at its base. A body hung suspended, stripped of armor, blue-grey skin mottled by bruises and fel magic burns, the lower limbs dripping with black blood. The sight destroyed the blood elf, watching the orc warlock destroy the woman she had loved one piece at a time, the killing blow coming as Gul'dan ripped the Banshee Queen's heart from her chest and cleaved her head from her shoulders._

No matter how hard the blood elf fought she couldn't escape the horrors playing in her mind.

* * *

Sylvanas arrived at the Trueshot Lodge quickly, practically running up to the main building, her crimson eyes spotting Velonara quickly. "My lady-"

Sylvanas held up a hand. "Take me to her."

The room was dimly lit, although it could have been black as pitch and the Dark Lady would have seen just as well as if it were day. Her gaze found the figure on a pallet of furs, Aelwynn's proffered field bedding, and her already unbeating heart froze.

The elf had always been pale, a fact that she had lamented over in a letter to Sylvanas while she was stationed in Uldum, now however Aelwynn was a sickly grey, much like a fresh corpse. She didn't know if it was due to the healed injuries she had sustained so long ago at the hands of the former Dark Ranger and her pet worgen or if the amount of alcohol had poisoned her.

The former Ranger of Silvermoon sat on the edge of the pallet, leaning her bow and quiver up against the wall and watched her former lover. She removed a gauntlet and touched the blood elf's cheek.

"I am most likely the last voice you wanted to hear, but I came as soon as I heard. I could berate you for being so foolish as to drown yourself in such a dangerous concoction and ask you why you would do so, but I fear I already know the answer. My only request is this, please do not give up. On life, on yourself...on me. I need you to live, if not for yourself, or the Horde, then for me. I am selfish, but I...I fear that losing you forever would destroy me."

* * *

Velonara watched her Queen with something akin to relief. She had watched Sylvanas spiral into a state near madness, and feared that this would be the situation she would never recover from.

Knowing what a somewhat relaxed Banshee Queen had been like was something her Rangers had mourned the loss of. Clea had written several missives to Velonara, her notes short but easily describing the worry all had felt for their stoic leader.

Now, Sylvanas sat on the pallet of furs, her form seeming somehow smaller. Her hands, divested of their gauntlets, smoothed the hair off the hunter's forehead, stroking her cheeks with one hand while keeping a gentle grip on the near lifeless hand of the blood elf with the other.

Velonara stood far enough away to give them privacy, just out of hearing range, yet close enough to witness the uncommon gentleness and hesitation in Sylvanas' movements. Velonara heard the soft padding of paws and turned, watching Loki come up to the doorway. His head lifted slightly, a soft purr rumbling in his chest as he spotted the Dark Lady.

He sat next to Velonara, leaning his feline head against her leg. She smiled. "Go on, she'll want to see you too."

Sylvanas was so distracted with keeping her attention on Aelwynn that she hadn't heard Loki enter, nor had she heard the purr start up louder. He slinked up to her, nearly crawling in her lap and startling her. "Who-Loki...you handsome beast, what right have you, sneaking up on someone..." She asked, smiling sadly as he burrowed against her side, his head resting on her arm.

* * *

 **So Sylvanas has come to the Lodge...**


	7. Chapter 7

**Oh my gosh guys, I am so sorry it's taken so long to update! 2018 has turned out to be a terrible year for me, both personally and from a writing standpoint. This is going to be kind of a long author's note, so I apologize for the delay and if you do in fact read this, I appreciate it.**

 **The day that I posted chapter 6, April 21st, was the day that my last surviving grandparent died. My grandma was my inspiration for writing, for music, and for trying my best to be a better person. She lived an incredible life, and was one of the sweetest people in the world. She was diagnosed with cancer (a final, absolute diagnosis) 31 days before she died. It was aggressive and there was absolutely nothing that anyone could do to help her. My mom and my youngest aunt were with her through her final days, and all I can say is that I am so incredibly blessed that I was able to spend so much time with such an amazing woman.**

 **We buried her on April 26th, on my mom's birthday, and since then I have fought through several horrible bouts of soul-crushing depression. Its something I've fought nearly all my life, but in the months that have passed since her funeral, I've had little to no success in controlling it. My muse for writing has all but been blown to pieces by everything that has gone on in the months since.**

 **May passed by with little to no inspiration, then followed June, and on June 17th I found out that my uncle has cancer as well, stomach and throat cancer to be exact. He was in remission until they found two tumors in his brain.**

 **I've only recently been back into WoW, and I've started to play with the game music on (something I NEVER do). My muse is still being elusive, but I figured that I would go back and read what I've written. This story has gone a couple of different routes in my mind, and I'm still trying to settle on one single direction, so things aren't 100% concrete. However, I will hopefully be updating this more than every 8 months.**

 **Thanks for reading everyone, and I promise there is definitely more to come!**

* * *

Aelwynn's condition had taken a turn for the worse two days after Sylvanas arrived, and she sent Velonara to Suramar, hoping her Ranger could find information on how to combat it. As she waited for Velonara to return she went over every detail of Aelwynn's reports after demanding that she see them.

In her notes, Aelwynn had detailed every kill, from what she deemed the poor creatures who bore burden to the fel magic ravaging them, to the triumph of yet another pit lord's fall. She spoke of the relics she had gathered, of Light's Heart burrowing into her mind, and the paralysis when it spoke. She had spoken with some of her fellow adventurers who had been lucky, or unlucky to be touched by that Pillar of Creation, and had raged at its invasion of her mind.

Aelwynn had worried over how frequently the artifact was speaking to her, irritated at being intruded upon and scared that she was truly losing her mind. The beast within her would press her control, often forcing strong emotion on her in order to overpower her. That had happened in Suramar, at the edge of the city, and there were hours unaccounted for on that particular day.

That was the day she found the arcwine. It would knock the beast out cold, although the more she drank, the worse she felt. The addiction had taken hold days later, and she had said she now fully understood what her people had gone through under Kael'thas' rule.

Her last report, though not a report for her final mission, had been Vereesa's request to find her oldest sister Alleria, which had failed miserably. Aelwynn had ended up in possession of Thas'dorah, and the guilt and pain of carrying the Windrunner family heirloom had finally broken her.

Sylvanas, though undead could still weep, although not as a creature of the living would have. She felt every ounce of pain her former lover and champion had experienced as she read. She placed the reports down and knelt next to Aelwynn, unable to form words because of the lump in her throat.

She rose and took off her armor, leaving her breeches and pulling on a leather tunic before lying on the pallet next to the prone blood elf.

* * *

Velonara was instantly on guard at the stillness in the room. She looked down, her undead heart aching at the look of hopeless resignation on her leader's face. Sylvanas stared sightlessly at the hunter, a tear escaping down her cheek.

"I had thought there were no tears left for me to shed." Sylvanas said, her voice hoarse from disuse, yet still melodic in its tone. "We never spoke of her death. Some part of me foolishly believed she would live far longer than I. There are so many things I should have said to her. She deserved so much more than I was ever capable of giving, and yet I still hear that she never did give up on me. Even after..." She trailed off.

Velonara chose that moment to seat herself on the pallet, placing a gentle hand on the joined hands resting on Aelwynn's stomach. "My queen, I spoke with a grand arcanist, a former resident of Suramar. She believes that they can still save her. Apparently she would gather a large amount of the ancient mana crystals on her missions to take to them. The Nightborne, they call themselves that, suffer a horrible addiction to it. She had been bartering with the mana for trade goods and repairs and has made allies among them. Thalryssa is the arcanist, she believes there is a way to break her sleep, but to do so may cause her addiction to worsen."

Sylvanas gazed up at her Dark Ranger, loyal to the end. "How..."

"The crystals, they crush and use them. She is not sure it will help, and is afraid that if it does she may never shake the addiction. She would become a mindless withered like the others. However, there is a chance that she could come out of it with few issues to show."

Sylvanas nodded. "I went over some of her reports. After the ordeal with Dalaran and the Night Elves she struggled to deal with the worgen curse. It would force her into mental submission and take over. That is why she began drinking the arcwine. She found that it would affect the beast as well, causing it to retreat."

Velonara's brows raised. "How did she not go mad..."

"She feared she was. Between the curse and the artifact speaking to her she was almost certain she had."

* * *

Weeks passed, and Sylvanas returned to her duties as Warchief with reluctance. The lack of knowledge on her former champion's condition nearly left her pacing the dais on which she stood, yet she remained immobile.

Those who knew her however, could tell she was under strain by the tightness around her eyes and mouth which showed her frustration. Lor'themar had contacted her, telling her that Aelwynn had been moved after her treatments to Light's Hope chapel, so she was closer, and Lady Liadrin and Sif were keeping watch on her.

She knew Sif, who happened to be one of the few adventurers Aelwynn got along with, would take to the care of her friend and guildmate as if it were the paladin's duty. It seemed in the years since their separation, her former lover had tangled with a few of her other guildmates and had cultivated a reputation, one that others often remarked as 'colder than the Lich King's throne'.

A young undead jogged up, her posture somewhat curious for a member of her race and stopped in front of the dais, making eye contact with the Banshee Queen. She found it refreshing, what with all the bowing her people did. "My lady, I was sent with news from Light's Hope. Nightstrider is awake."

* * *

Sylvanas rode to Light's Hope in the Eastern Plaguelands, rather than taking a bat. The young undead had spoken to her with cautioned words. She had been a priest in life, yet in her undeath she focused more on her rage at the Lich King and now commanded demons and their ilk. She warned Sylvanas of the changes the hunter had undergone, telling her leader that the physical changes might not be apparent, but the mental and emotional ones would be. That was all the warning Sylvanas needed, and prepared herself while she rode.

* * *

Aelwynn had awakened with a craving she didn't understand, a persistent itch beneath her skin that would not go away, no matter how hard she scratched. She'd been told that she would have a difficult time with the withdrawals, but the suffering was enough to make her want to crawl back into a bottle of arcwine. Frustrated, she realized she had traded one irritant for another.

The mongrel who would paralyze her and then take over was replaced by another monster, one that would drive her the rest of the way into insanity if the need wasn't fed. She stared out the window of her room at the skies of the Eastern Kingdom, that persistent itch setting her teeth on edge. _'The arcwine... that's why I'm here...'_

She heard the latch on the door and frantically searched for something to defend herself with. _'I need to get out of here.'_ She thought desperately, whirling when the door opened.

Lady Liadrin stood in the doorway, the darkness behind her pierced by a familiar set of glowing red eyes.

Sylvanas nearly gasped as she looked upon her Blood Elf. The woman was skin and bones, her skin ashen to the point of turning blue. She looked like death had taken her. Her normally green eyes were almost white, and her hair had lost all color. She was no longer the vibrant, healthy and sarcastic being Sylvanas adored. Her voice caused Sylvanas to wince.

"Why am I here?" She asked, her voice ravaged by the effects of the arcwine withdrawal and its terrifying effects on her mind. Her gaze darted around the room, frantically searching for a way out.

Sylvanas placed a hand on Liadrin's shoulder. "I will attempt to calm her." She said quietly, passing the knight her bow and quiver. She passed her sword and dagger to Sif, nodding and stepping in the room. Sif took one last look at her friend and guildmate and closed the door.

"Why did you come? You shouldn't be here. You have people to lead." Aelwynn rasped, her gaze traveling along the floorboards, refusing to meet Sylvanas' eyes.

"I came because the woman I love nearly died. I was there with you, in your room at the lodge." Sylvanas replied, pulling her hood off. The hunter turned toward the window, scratching absentmindedly at her arm.

Sylvanas smelled the tainted blood and stepped forward, removing her gauntlet and gently halting her hand.

Aelwynn broke at that, that touch she remembered so well, the feeling of those chilled fingers against her burning skin. She choked on a sob, her head dropping to her chest. "Kill me." She whimpered.

Sylvanas shook her head, tugging her former lover against her and hugging her gently. "You will get through this. Do you know how I know you will? Because you are strong, so much stronger than you believe. You are mine, and I will not let you do this alone. I'm bringing you back to the Undercity, back home. The rest of your guildmates will be more than welcome. _Surfal_ , you will be surrounded with everyone that loves you."

* * *

"I'm taking her back to the Undercity. Is there anything I should be made aware of?" Sylvanas asked.

Sif nodded. "We don't leave her alone, especially when she sleeps. I don't know if you were made aware but the reason she slipped into that coma is because of the arcwine. Esme was watching over her while she slept, I don't know what she heard, but it was enough to send one of the strongest young women I know running from the room. She told her husband, Carlisle and he told the rest of us. She had nightmares while she was drinking that foul concoction. She saw all of us die, yourself included. I won't go into description because I'll never make it through without breaking down, but it caused what the humans call battle shock. That combined with the withdrawal has caused nightmares that take hours to get her to come out of. She spends a lot of time staring off into space. I don't know if there's nothing in her mind at the moment, but she comes out of that easily, and often shaken like she can't remember where she is." Sif explained quietly.

Sylvanas took a deep breath and nodded.

"My Lady, I know this is a massive undertaking, and with what happened between the two of you it will be difficult, but we'll all be there. If you feel you need to step away for a moment at any time, we'll all do whatever we can to help. My husband, Loki, has kept nightwatch over her more than others, I know he will be willing to stay with her, or the both of you if need be."

Sylvanas nodded again. "Your help is much appreciated. I want to apologize. I know she and I ended things on horrible terms, but had I known how our separation would have affected her, and by extension all of you, I would have tried harder."

Sif shook her head. "My Lady...Sylvanas...what went on between you affected you both. We all realize that. We also know that regardless of what happened, you're helping her because you care about her. Her condition is just a byproduct of an unfair situation that spiralled desperately out of hand. You couldn't have known that any of this would happen. If anyone is to blame it's that damnable Unseen Path group. Sending her on that mission with Vereesa when they knew she was mentally unstable was a huge mistake on their part."

Sylvanas sighed quietly. "Still, it doesn't change what I've done to her. And I hope, maybe foolishly, that she'll find it in her heart to forgive me. She needs help, and I need to be there for her as she was for me. I can only hope she'll react differently than I did."

* * *

Aelwynn watched the guards of the Undercity warily, feeling as though she were an animal at the Darkmoon Faire. She desperately wanted to be outside, anywhere. Just somewhere where she felt there were no walls closing in on her.

They had boarded Loki, her spirit beast at the stable master in Brill, Loki, her oldest friend and the namesake of her beloved companion, promised that he would take her to see him soon, but on the condition that she needed to get settled first and have Esme check on her physical and mental state.

She had sighed and nodded reluctantly before staring off into space blankly once again. She felt a hand grasp her shoulder and jumped, holding in the scream of terror and instead making a choked noise between a squeal and a lupine growl.

Sylvanas held her hands up before her in a placating and apologetic gesture. "I apologize. I announced myself, I assumed you heard me." She said wearily.

Aelwynn looked up at her former lover, seeing for the first time the toll her condition was having on the former Ranger General. She could see the hesitation and bone deep weariness written across the pale slate-colored face, the sorrow and grief in those glowing crimson eyes.

That made her mind up for her.

She wanted, no, _needed_ to get better. To shake off the constant pain and lingering doubt, to force herself to either face her fears or forget them.

She shook her head. "It's okay. I zoned out. How are negotiations going with the Demon Hunters?" She asked curiously.

Sylvanas dropped into a chair next to the bookshelf, divesting herself of her gauntlets and pauldrons first. "Slow. Now that Illidan has been recovered it should go smoother. It seems your friend Gibbs is to be heading their side of the negotiations, your little Warlock friend is quite enamored with him." She said.

Aelwynn cracked a small smile at that thought. Abby was a recent addition to the guild, the Hunter introducing her first to Sif and Loki. The mage had taken her under his wing as far as he could. Mages and warlocks, though both casters, had far different abilities and by extension duties when it came to group combat, yet with every lesson the girl had become more and more adept. She had far more control over her imp than any Warlock that Aelwynn had ever seen. "Abby can be...quite eccentric. Honestly it's no surprise she fell for a demon hunter. I suppose attraction can start on common ground." She said, her gaze hesitantly meeting Sylvanas' crimson orbs. A shock of... _something_...went through her as she met her former lover's eyes.

Hope flared in Sylvanas' undead heart, something she found happened more and more often as her Hunter would glance her way. Perhaps things were changing again.

* * *

Sylvanas was tired...not the physical exhaustion that came as a consequence of living, more a mental exhaustion. An emotional tiredness. The fragile connection that had reformed between herself and Aelwynn brought her equal parts relief and wariness.

Relief because Aelwynn was back where she belonged, where Sylvanas could keep her safe like she should have before. Wariness because the Banshee Queen had thrown her to the wind once before, and she worried that Aelwynn would hesitate to open up in fear of it happening again. She wanted to be completely sure that her Hunter was on the mend, but she knew that pushing her stubborn Blood Elf to talk would only force Aelwynn to cut herself off from everyone. The Banshee Queen knew it was going to take time for Aelwynn to completely trust her again.

She'd spent half the night watching over Aelwynn, waking her several times as the young Elf struggled in the throes of a nightmare. Sylvanas had gone to find an alchemist with the hope that one of them would have something to help her Hunter sleep, and when she'd come back to her chambers unsuccessful and empty-handed she'd found the bed empty. Aelwynn had found her way into the darkness of the washroom, curled up in the corner trembling with fear, covered in sweat. Her eyes were a pale yellow, her gaze wild and dazed. When she had finally broken free of the fear the Hunter had refused to meet Sylvanas' gaze, and had flinched away when the Dark Lady tried to help her to her feet.

Sylvanas had called Sif in after getting her back to bed before changing into her armor and heading out into the city.

* * *

Aelwynn paused as she read, pressing her thumbs into her brow before dragging her fingers through the short hair at the base of her scalp. Her head was throbbing, her vision blurring with every beat of her heart. Loki glanced up at her from his own tome.

"You should take a break. You've been studying the same chapter for nearly an hour."

She shook her head, wincing as it throbbed again. "I'll wait. Another hour and they'll force me to lie down anyway."

The Mage pursed his lips in disapproval, but chose to say nothing. He and Aelwynn had fought side by side for nearly ten years, and in that time if there was one thing he had learned, it was that she was stubborn but her anger was a slow burn. While it didn't take much to set her off, she very rarely retaliated immediately.

"When can we go check up on Loki?" She asked.

"Let's wait another day, I don't want to wear you out or make that headache worse by dragging you around the city." He said.

"You keep saying that! 'We'll wait one more day' 'Just one more'. I don't want to wait another day! I've had enough! I want to see him, and if you won't take me I'll go on my own." Aelwynn could hardly contain her temper, Loki had promised her they would go check on her spirit beast and yet here he was, demanding that she stay calm and rest. "Aelwynn please-" He stepped toward her, reaching for her shoulder.

"Don't touch me!" She snapped. "I'm not some fragile child you need to shield. You promised me we would go see him. And now you're forcing me to stay here! You-"

She began shivering, clutching her stomach and bending over. "I...I'm gonna be sick..."

Loki sighed and helped her to the table, sitting her down and handing her a bucket before sending a guard to go get Esme and Sylvanas.

* * *

 **Thanks for reading! Please review!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Boy, I had to cut this chapter in half, it was climbing up into the double digits. Y'all know what to do.**

* * *

Aelwynn leaned back, scrubbing her face with her hands and looking at the reports from Zen and Montaygne through blurry eyes. She'd asked that the two keep her updated on the troop of hunters they were training in her stead, hoping that they'd send a request for her to come back, even if it was only to watch the training process. Anything to get her back on her feet and doing _something_ productive.

Zen's reports were numerous, full of nothing but good things about the group she'd put together. They were detailed, almost too much so, and yet she appreciated the amount of work the troll had put into them.

Montaygne's had become her favorite reading material. The undead man always seemed to be in good spirits, despite the tragic circumstances surrounding his un-life, and his humor was a welcome change from the grim situation she found herself in.

One note had escaped her notice until she began rifling through the papers, shuffling them into a somewhat organized pile. A slight smile touched her lips as she read Sylvanas' elegant penmanship.

 _'Surfal, don't forget to stop and eat something at some point. And if you should find yourself lacking something to do, come up to the ruins. Meet me in the courtyard this evening. Yours, Sylvanas.'_

* * *

Sylvanas waited almost impatiently for her Hunter. They'd slowly been rebuilding their relationship, and Sylvanas was more than eager to spend time with the Blood Elf. Aelwynn had been anxious to get back into the field, not one for being stationary. Sylvanas couldn't blame her. Her convalescence because of the coma had her trapped. The poor woman had seemed more and more like a caged beast the longer her forced recuperation went on.

Sylvanas heard Aelwynn's footsteps and smiled softly, pulling her hood back and bearing her silver-blonde tresses.

Aelwynn came around the corner, sighing softly. "Sorry. I got caught up. Zen and Montaygne sent their reports, we have a lot more new hunters. They're managing, unfortunately, but they wanted to let me know."

Sylvanas chuckled, shaking her head. "It's alright, _surfal_."

The Hunter leaned against the wall, eyeing the Banshee Queen quietly.

The Dark Lady noticed the pensive look in her Hunter's eyes and raised a brow, the corner of her lips curling. "Something the matter?"

Pale green eyes cleared and focused on Sylvanas' face. "No." Aelwynn smiled slightly, glancing around the ruins.

Sylvanas stepped next to her, leaning her back against the wall, her gaze traveling along the lines of the crumbled fortress as she relaxed in the company of her Blood Elf. Aelwynn shifted next to her, distractedly tracing her fingers along Sylvanas' bare bicep. The feel of those warm fingers sliding almost too lightly across her skin, skin so dead yet so very much alive. Sylvanas turned her head, her gaze landing on Aelwynn's face.

"I almost forgot how beautiful you are." Aelwynn whispered, her gaze roaming over her former lover's face. "I dreamed whenever I fell asleep...before the arcwine. Draenor was...rough." She said hollowly, turning her head to look over the remains of the castle walls. "I spent a lot of time trying to keep myself awake. When I did sleep, I dreamt of you." She admitted. "As if things hadn't happened the way they did."

Sylvanas' heart, unbeating, meaningless in her chest, broke at the admission. "I often wonder myself, if I had handled things differently. Driving you away was the worst thing I've ever done. I hurt you, and I will spend the rest of my existence trying to make it up to you." She said, watching her Hunter.

Aelwynn leaned closer, hesitantly, her gaze inadvertently dropping to the other woman's lips. "I-" She was cut off quickly as a set of cool lips brushed hers.

Her heart leapt in her chest and her eyes fluttered closed as a cool hand, devoid of a gauntlet, cupped her cheek. She felt Sylvanas' thumb stroking her cheek, and her eyes opened to meet a set of crimson orbs, cautious adoration swimming in them. She closed the distance between them again, her left hand coming up to cup the back of Sylvanas' neck as the kiss deepened. The kiss drugged her, made her head swim and her heart race, but she'd never felt calmer.

More at peace, at home.

* * *

 **ONE MONTH LATER**

Sylvanas fumed inside.

She had know that the 'important' hunters in the class hall had ignored Aelwynn completely. Especially sending her on that failed rescue mission with Vereesa. And now they were calling on her to return. Sylvanas refused to allow it. She and Aelwynn argued until it once again made the Blood Elf physically ill, but Sylvanas would not be moved. There was no way she would allow her Hunter to go back to such a dangerous group.

There was a knock at the door and both looked up as Nathanos appeared and addressed Sylvanas. "They are waiting for her so they can return together." He said, sneering at the Hunter.

Sylvanas' eyes narrowed. "Tell them they are to return to their lodge without her. She will not be leaving Undercity until my priests have determined she is well enough to return to duty."

Aelwynn stared angrily at the floor.

She was furious with herself, Sylvanas could tell. She was in a situation where no matter what choice she made, she would not have control. Sylvanas had control, like she always had. As much as Aelwynn wanted to hate her for that, she couldn't. She was still in love with the Banshee Queen, even if being around her was causing more pain than Aelwynn could have possibly imagined, though things had been changing between them. And then she saw Nathanos and that pain was replaced by an implacable rage that the Hunter didn't know how to deal with.

Aelwynn stood and attempted to head into the bathroom, but Sylvanas caught her arm before she could step passed.

She tried to shrug Sylvanas' hand off her arm again and took a deep breath as the Banshee Queen backed her against the wall. "Let me go." She said quietly.

"Why?" Sylvanas asked, narrowing her eyes.

"Because, you gave up the chance to be this close when you-" She was cut off by Sylvanas' lips landing solidly on hers, coaxing her into a deep kiss. Aelwynn groaned softly, cupping the back of the Dark Lady's neck. She broke the kiss, frowning at Sylvanas. "Why did you do that?" She asked.

Sylvanas' eyes didn't leave her lips when she spoke. "Because I missed you. After...After Vereesa, I was afraid to let anyone in because I was afraid of being hurt again. I made sure to hurt you before you could hurt me." She said, her gaze meeting the pale gold of her former lover's.

Aelwynn frowned, shaking her head. "Sylvanas, we've already been over this...you have to know that I would never have done what she did to you. My heart belongs to you. It has for a long time. But this...I don't think you understand the kind of pain you put me through when you pushed me away. Then again...given what I've done to myself, maybe you have an idea of how it affected me..." She said quietly.

Sylvanas eyed her morosely, dropping her gaze. "Tell me." She said.

Aelwynn shook her head. "No, I-"

"I said...tell me." Sylvanas insisted sharply. "Tell me, please. I need to know, to understand, so that I will know how to fix this."

The Blood Elf sighed. "I don't know if you can." She said softly, a pained tone to her voice.

The Banshee Queen raised her eyes to meet Aelwynn's. "If there is one thing you should know about me by now, one thing I do not lack is determination. I will find a way to fix this. You know it."

The younger woman nodded, dropping her gaze to the floor, tears flooding her eyes. "You...you have no idea how hard it's been not to come back to Undercity. To come back to you." She said quietly. "I tried for months to push you out of my mind, to try to forget everything about you. My garrison was not a good place to be...no one on Draenor was safe. Between Velonara and Vivianne, there were so many reminders of you. The lodge hasn't been any better." She said, resting her hand on Sylvanas' arm. "I hated myself for just backing down, accepting that you had made your decision, that you didn't love me. I gave up. I never give up." She said.

Sylvanas stroked her thumb under Aelwynn's eye, wiping away the painful tears that fell.

"I was so angry, and so lonely. All I wanted to do was come home. I ended up leaving Loki in my garrison with the stable master and just heading out into Nagrand. I didn't want to exist. I hunted for Garrosh, for weeks...trying to find that son of a bitch so I could bring his head back and stick it on a pike. _Thrall_ made it worse." She sneered, staring off to the side, lost in her memories.

"He killed him. Didn't even give anyone else a chance. And then he had the nerve to tell me that I shouldn't be angry because I didn't get to see him die, asked me if it would have changed anything if I'd been the one to kill him. If I somehow believed that you would take me back. When I got to the Broken Isles I decided to throw myself into it...After I lost control, it was the last straw. I know I didn't change...my armor was completely intact, but after coming to and realizing that this curse..." Her hand's clenched at her sides, the golden glow bleeding into her eyes at the fury the memory invoked.

Sylvanas stroked her cheek, attempting to calm the beast inside the woman. The primal side of Aelwynn recognized the scent of her former lover and her eyes closed. "I missed you too, you know." She said quietly. She looked up at Sylvanas, her heart in her throat. "Just please...please promise me that if we do this...if we decide that we both want this, that we want to be together. I know things have changed...that we're getting back to the way things were before. Please promise me that you won't push me away again. I can't...I can't go through that again."

The Banshee Queen looked down at her, nodding. "I promise, _Dalah'surfal_. You're not the only one who suffered due to my stupidity." She said softly, stroking the back of Aelwynn's neck.

The young hunter stared up at her, pulling her closer, pressing her body against the Dark Lady's.

Sylvanas smiled slightly, brushing her nose against the Blood Elf's. Aelwynn tilted her head up, catching Sylvanas' lower lip between her teeth. Sylvanas removed her gauntlets, dropping them on the desk against the wall, deepening the kiss as Aelwynn followed suit with her own.

* * *

Making love after so long had not been something Aelwynn thought would affect her. The arcwine had made her numb, physically and emotionally, but now that she was naked and pinned beneath the Banshee Queen, she felt more alive than she ever had before. It could be the fact that there were reasons they shouldn't be doing this now, heightening the feeling of danger and being discovered, or because they hadn't been together in years, all Aelwynn knew was that if Sylvanas stopped now, she was going to be very upset. She sighed and arched into Sylvanas' touch, her mind becoming hazy for an entirely different reason.

By the gods, Sylvanas missed this...she stroked her fingers up and down pale, naked skin, tracing scars and scrapes, kissing bruises. Even with her diminished sensitivity she could still feel Aelwynn's nails as they scraped across the skin of her back and neck. Sylvanas trailed kisses across her shoulder, up the side of her neck to her ear where she nipped and sucked at the lobe. Aelwynn shivered, moaning softly.

"Gods..." She breathed.

Sylvanas smirked, biting softly at the flesh behind Aelwynn's ear, humming softly at the reflexive dig of nails into her skin and the quick intake of breath.

"Please..." Aelwynn begged.

"Please what?" Sylvanas husked, her cool breath hitting her lover's ear, causing Aelwynn's breath to hitch again.

"Please...please touch me."

Sylvanas smirked, brushing her lips over her lover's collar bone, nipping at the delicate flesh. "I _am_ touching you..."

Aelwynn shivered, glaring hazily down at her lover. "You know what I m- oh..." Her eyes closed and she bit her lower lip as she felt Sylvanas' cool fingers exactly where she needed them.

Sylvanas watched Aelwynn slowly come apart with heat in her eyes, if she still had blood, it would be like lava pooling in her veins. She took a deep, unneeded breath and closed her eyes, listening to the symphony of soft gasps and sweet moans, feeling the stretch of smooth skin and heat, the sweat on her skin, the scent of her in the air. Sylvanas could feel her lover coiling like a spring, ready to snap at any moment, but she didn't want her there just yet.

When she finally allowed Aelwynn to have her release, the Blood Elf was flushed beautifully, sweat glistening on her skin, her pulse racing in her neck. Aelwynn shivered as she came down from her high, closing her eyes and trying to slow her breathing. She sighed softly as she felt Sylvanas press against her, the coolness of her skin helping Aelwynn to calm down a little.

"Is that what you wanted, _Surfal_?" Sylvanas asked, kissing her sweaty forehead.

Aelwynn nodded, opening her eyes and meeting the Dark Lady's gaze. "I think you might've killed me..." She said with a laugh, brushing the hair off her forehead where it stuck to the sweat there. She turned her body to face her undead elven lover, sliding a pale leg between Sylvanas' slate-colored ones and kissing her deeply.

She shifted Sylvanas onto her back, slipping fully between her Banshee Queen's legs, one hand cupping the back of Sylvanas' neck, the other slipping up her thigh and pulling her leg up on Aelwynn's hip. The Blood Elf kissed down the side of Sylvanas' neck, nipping and kissing the desensitized skin roughly. Sylvanas gasped, arching into her lover's kisses and moaning softly as Aelwynn's teeth scraped along her collarbone. The Hunter watched her undead lover come undone as she pleasured her. Sylvanas arched her back again, closing her eyes and moaning loudly. Aelwynn reached up with her free hand and held the back of Sylvanas' head, coaxing her to open her eyes.

"I want to watch you fall apart, my love." She husked, watching her lover's crimson eyes as Sylvanas let go.

The Dark Lady shivered, closing her eyes and tilting her head back, sighing softly. Her voice was breathless, the ethereal tones caressing Aelwynn's ears like silk on soft skin. " _Anar'alah_ , I missed you, _Dalah'surfal_."

The Hunter shifted as Sylvanas pulled her up to straddle her hips. Aelwynn leaned down to kiss her but was met with a hand to her chest. Sylvanas shook her head. "Let me look at you." She reached down, dragging her fingernails down Aelwynn's stomach, teasing her lover by drawing intricate designs on her hip bones.

Aelwynn rocked her hips toward her love's hand, a keening noise resonating in the back of her throat. She reached down to pleasure herself, but Sylvanas intercepted her hand, smirking. "You, my love, are absolutely insatiable." She husked.

Pale green eyes met glowing crimson and Aelwynn smiled. "Of course I'm insatiable...have you seen yourself? If I had the chance, I'd keep you all to myself forever." She said.

* * *

Sylvanas ran her fingers through Aelwynn's hair, pressing a gentle kiss to her forehead.

"I didn't think I was going to make it." Aelwynn said quietly, tracing patterns on Sylvanas' bare stomach. She felt Sylvanas press another kiss to her head.

"It is going to be difficult, figuring out what to do to help you. It hasn't been easy, attempting to lead the Horde when all I've wanted to do was go out to the Broken Isles and stay there with you." She said, stroking Aelwynn's back.

The Hunter sighed. "It's a good thing you stayed away..." She said.

Sylvanas noticed the tone in her voice and spoke up. "However?"

Aelwynn sat up slightly, looking into her lover's crimson eyes. "If you had, what would you have done?" She asked.

Sylvanas raised a brow. "I don't know, to be honest. There is no love lost between the people of the Lodge and I, and I believe that if I were to happen to be there, it would be only in the most dire of circumstances. They didn't appreciate it much while I was there with you during your...coma."

She leaned up, grasping a small box off of the nightstand next to the bed. She nudged Aelwynn to sit up, kissing her shoulder. "I have something for you." She whispered. Aelwynn turned to face her, brushing shaggy white-blonde hair out of her eyes. Sylvanas passed her the box, pressing another kiss to the back of the Blood Elf's shoulder.

Aelwynn opened the box, gasping softly. A beautiful ring sat propped in the box, a small emerald and ruby artfully set into what looked like twisted vines and thorns. "Sylvanas..." Aelwynn breathed, turning and looking at her lover.

Sylvanas cupped her cheek, kissing her softly and pulling back. She picked the ring up out of the box, taking her Hunter's hand. "I had wanted to give this to you back before everything happened with the trial." She explained, sliding the ring on Aelwynn's finger and kissing it softly. "I want you to be mine, Aelwynn Nightstrider." She said.

Aelwynn grinned through her tears, nodding her head. "I want to be yours, Sylvanas." She replied, leaning forward and kissing the former Ranger General deeply. "Forever." She whispered, pulling the Banshee Queen to hover over her.

"No matter what happens, from now on, we belong to one another." Sylvanas said, cradling her love closer. She smirked deviously, something that others might find disturbing, yet it did nothing but warm Aelwynn's heart. "I know you're not one for titles, _Surfal_ , however, you do realize that from this moment on your formal title is 'Queen-Consort'."

Her Hunter narrowed pale eyes in mock irritation. "You just want me to wed you so you can torment me with a title, don't you..." She teased, tucking silver strands of hair behind Sylvanas' ear.

The former High Elf chuckled. "You caught me..."

* * *

 **Wow, so this turned out a lot different than I was originally planning. So...yeah.**


	9. Chapter 9

**So this was the second half of my nearly 10,000 word chapter, and I knew I needed to put both of them up rather quick like. If you enjoy, let me know, if not, please know this is entirely fueled by Jaymes Young's music and far too much coffee...also it's 3am...**

* * *

Sylvanas shifted, huffing quietly as the elven body next to her curled almost possessively over the Banshee Queen. Aelwynn had gotten up to use the washroom and both had pulled on some sleep shorts and sleeveless shirts before the Hunter draped herself over her undead lover. An occasional mumble or groan fell from Aelwynn's lips as Sylvanas attempted to move. The Dark Lady ran her fingers through Aelwynn's short hair, watching the woman sleeping in her arms, the dim candlelight glinting off of the ruby and emerald on her ring. A wave of intense love came over Sylvanas, the foreign feeling causing an ache in the back of her throat. It wasn't a common thing, seeing her Hunter in such a vulnerable state and Sylvanas relished it. Aelwynn was always on the move, always ready for action, her slight form coiled like a spring yet seeing her now, relaxed and nearly worry free for a time brought a strange sense of calm to the Banshee Queen. She shook her head and wondered not for the first time when she had become so sentimental.

There was a knock at the door and she called out an invitation to enter. She glanced at the door, one hand on Aelwynn's back, the other running through her hair and met the gaze of Nathanos Blightcaller. Her eyes narrowed at the open hostility in his gaze and the seething rage flowing off of him and rolled her eyes. "Enough, Nathanos. Is there something you need?" She nearly snapped.

His gaze, once centered on the Blood Elf in Sylvanas' arms, hadn't moved. She repeated her question, impatience coloring her tone.

"I apologize, My Queen." He said, his tone heated with aggression and possessiveness. "They are once again calling for her return to the Broken Isles. Archmage Khadgar is here to speak with you."

* * *

After Khadgar's summons, Aelwynn took the opportunity to roam Undercity without an escort, but she knew the guards would be keeping an eye on her for her sake. Sylvanas had not been happy when she'd practically begged to take a walk alone, and after several moments of pleading and promises that she would stay where the guards would be able to see her, Sylvanas had capitulated with a sigh, a nod, and a gentle caress of her Consort's cheek.

Nathanos managed to find her.

"I don't know what your intentions are, and honestly, I couldn't care less. Just know that you aren't the first to share her bed, and you won't be the last." Nathanos sneered as he stepped behind her.

Aelwynn turned, raising a long brow. "And how would you know? Do you have some sort of insight that I don't? Come on Blightcaller, you're smarter than that. If I knew I didn't have a chance, I wouldn't be here." She said, narrowing her eyes. "Now, if this pissing match is over, I'd like it if you left me alone, please. I have little patience, and your constant nagging and whining does little to settle my bow arm."

He grit his teeth."You living are all the same, entitled, selfish, caring only about their own personal gain. If I had it my way, I would strike you down just to raise you as Arthas raised us, without your own will. You gained the rank of champion, and you abandoned your post. Since then, you have been nothing but a thorn in the side of the Forsaken."

He stepped closer, pinning her against wall of the nearly empty hallway and gripping her arm tightly, snapping her bones in his grasp. Aelwynn gasped in pain and dropped to her knees, doing her best to keep her arm raised. She didn't need any more damage done to her arm.

"You ruined the Banshee Queen, took her ruthlessness and hostility. For that, you should pay, in blood."

She looked over quick enough to see Sylvanas coming into view, the sight of her lover's plight fueling a dark rage that passed through the former High Elf's eyes.

"Took my ruthlessness and hostility, did she?" She snapped quietly.

He stood straight, turning and dropping Aelwynn's arm from his grip. "My Queen, I-"

"Enough! From this day forward, all of the Forsaken will give Aelwynn Nightstrider the same respect that I am given. Anyone who refuses to accept this will be free to leave. Anyone who attempts to harm her, physically or otherwise, will deal with me." She said, her voice raised so the people shuffling about in and around the hallway could hear, as well as those surrounding the area.

She stepped closer to Nathanos, glaring up at him. "You will do as I say, and you _will_ respect her and defend her as you have me. It is your duty to protect the Queen, and her consort." She said.

His eyes widened and he looked to Aelwynn. "Consort?! My Lady, she is of the living. The Forsaken will never take-"

"They will do as I say. They respect me because I afford them the same respect. They chose me to lead them, and I accepted. Now, if you truly believe she has robbed me of my use as a leader, by all means, attempt to take my throne from me. But know this...should you continue on this foolhardy quest to disparage her name, it will only be too easy to find a new champion, and easier still to dispatch you from your duties, and your life."

She gestured behind her. "Now, you will do as I order and go find something to do, elsewhere. Should I see you near Aelwynn again, there will be no dark hole you can climb into where I will not find you."

He glared at the Hunter and stormed off, disappearing around the corner at the end of the hall.

Aelwynn cradled her arm to her chest, gritting her teeth and watching as the bruises slowly spread across her skin. He'd purposely broken her bow arm, knowing that a quick healing spell could cause irreparable damage. She was going to be out of commission for some time while this wound healed.

Sylvanas rested a hand on the back of her shoulder. "How badly did he hurt you, my love?" She asked.

Aelwynn shook her head quickly, swallowing and hoping to hold back her tears. "I'm fine." She rasped painfully.

Sylvanas turned her and realized it was her dominant arm. Her fury grew, as did her worry for Aelwynn. "You need to sit, I'll find a healer, hopefully they can find a way to fix your arm that won't damage it further." She said.

Aelwynn gripped Sylvanas' arm with her good hand. "Send someone else...please." She whispered.

* * *

Sylvanas sent Aelwynn ahead to their private chambers while she dealt with Nathanos.

She stepped in the doorway of the throne room, her bow arm cradled to her chest and looked to Belmont as she walked up. He put a hand on her good shoulder, looking her over in concern. The others did as well. She shook her head. "Sylvanas is taking care of it." She said quietly. She heard her lover's footsteps behind her and turned, stepping back and allowing her to pass, but Sylvanas stopped next to her and wrapped an arm around her waist.

"Come, my love, you need to sit down."

* * *

Her guildmates all swarmed her, Esme and Carlisle fawning over her as if she was their child, the priest brushing the hair off of her forehead, the monk standing behind her with a gentle hand on her shoulder, occasionally rubbing her back. Tarin sat next to her on the bed, both facing the doorway while Loki and Sif went to retrieve her Spirit Beast and bring him back to their rooms.

Tarin reached for her cousin's good hand, pausing as she spotted the ring. "Aelwynn...?" She asked. The Hunter turned to her older cousin, the woman she thought of more like a sister. The rogue picked up her hand, examining the ring.

Aelwynn looked around the group, waiting for someone to say something.

"My gods, she has incredible taste." Esme said, looking the ring over. "When did she propose?" She asked gently, smiling.

"This morning. She was going to propose after Hellscream's trial, before all hell broke loose." Aelwynn said, looking down at the ring.

"I take it she gave you a new title then..." Carlisle said softly.

Aelwynn nodded, turning to him. "Yeah...she made mention of that when she gave me the ring..." She trailed off.

The members of her group all looked at her in concern.

Esme spoke up. "Don't tell me she took the proposal back..." She said, her voice taking on a concerned, motherly tone.

The Hunter shook her head, looking to the Priest. She looked at Tarin and the rest of her friends...her family. "No. I'm not sure that I'm in the right state of mind anymore." She looked down at the floor, swallowing hard. "When Vol'jin...when he died, he named her Warchief, and that means that she has so many duties to take care of... I don't want to be in the way if she needs to make a command decision..."

Nikola's eyes widened and he looked to Bulliam, the druid standing gob smacked. Carlisle and Esme looked to one another. Sif stepped in front of her, crouching to her level. She and Loki had come in right after the proposal announcement, her spirit beast striding behind them and running to her before hopping up on the bed.

The Paladin nudged her friend's chin with a small smile, tilting her head up to meet Sif's gaze. "You're worried her duties will come between you...but you should know that if she promised herself to you, if the two of you agreed to commit to each other forever, then nothing about your relationship will change. She gave you this ring with the intention that you two would belong to each other, and if I know her as well as I hope I do, then she plans on that being forever."

* * *

" _Anar'alah_ , this was a complete waste of my talents...I can't even go back to the Broken Isle now." Aelwynn said, ripping the sling off her shoulder and throwing it on the desk.

Sylvanas watched her quietly, stepping up to help her remove her gauntlets. "You'll be well enough soon, my love. In the meantime, this will allow us to talk about our plans for the future." She hissed through her teeth as she saw the bruises on her Hunter's arm, shaking her head. "I should have killed him and thrown his body in the Apothecary." She seethed.

Aelwynn watched Sylvanas' face as the Banshee Queen concentrated on helping her lover out of her over armor. She reached up when her right hand was free, her injured left arm resting against her abdomen, and she cupped her lover's cheek. "You took care of it. Took care of me. And it doesn't matter when we decide to get married. I'm yours. Forever." She whispered.

Sylvanas looked up at her, a small smile on her lips as she raised a brow. "But it does matter, _Dalah'surfal_." She replied. "Once you're mine, there will be nothing I won't do to you. I will take you, wherever I please, whenever I please."

Aelwynn groaned softly. "You can already have me wherever you want. You could take me on your throne..."

Her lover smirked. "Could I now? Hmm...that gives me an idea..." She said, cupping the back of Aelwynn's head and kissing her deeply.

The Hunter backed Sylvanas against the foot of the bed, sighing softly against her former High Elf's lips. Completely forgetting the healing injury to her arm, she wrapped said arm around Sylvanas' waist, crushing the Banshee Queen against her and pulled back, groaning in agony.

"Gods..." She rasped, backing up and pulling her arm protectively to her chest.

Sylvanas frowned. "Let me get Belmont to grab one of the priests, they may be able to do a bit of healing. At most they can dull some of the pain."

Aelwynn nodded, dropping to the bed and closing her eyes.

She was paler than normal, which concerned Sylvanas. "It's worse now, isn't it?" She asked.

Aelwynn sighed. "It's been hurting off and on since they left, but I forgot about it." She looked up to her lover, a pained smirk on her face. "See, that's how good you are at distracting me."

Sylvanas stepped outside the chambers, and Loki hopped carefully up on the bed, laying his head on her right leg.

Sylvanas stepped back in the door, closing it behind her and striding to Aelwynn. She stepped between the Hunter's knees, cupping her cheeks and kissing her forehead. "You should lie down."

Aelwynn nodded, scooting herself back on the bed, grimacing as her arm throbbed. What had started where the break was, the pain now radiated up into her bicep, which was a cause for concern.

Belmont came in, Esme in tow. "Let me see it." She said, leaning over the Hunter and waving a gentle hand over the break.

Aelwynn grimaced, closing her eyes.

"I'm sorry." Esme said. "I can heal the worst of the break. The Brawler's guild has two officers stationed here in Undercity. They have a technique that they use for the fighters in the pit called casting. We can get this healed up and then I'll go get the materials to create it. I will warn you, it isn't going to be easy. I need to make sure the bone is in its proper place, and then support it until I can put the materials around it. And...well it's going to have to stay on for a while..." She said.

"It won't be pleasant either. It'll hold the bones in place while they take time to heal, and I've heard the materials that are used can cause your arm to itch. But this is the best bet because it will support the bones and protect them while they heal." She said.

Aelwynn nodded. "Okay..." She breathed.

Esme turned to Sylvanas. "You'll probably want to give her a healing potion, it won't do anything to the break to affect it in a positive or negative way, but it will heal the muscle tissue and the nerves around the break and hopefully take the edge off."

Sylvanas nodded.

* * *

Aelwynn awoke dazed, turning her head carefully and meeting Sylvanas' gaze. "How long have I been asleep?" She asked groggily.

Sylvanas chuckled. "Do you really need to know? You needed your rest. You've been going nonstop since Draenor. Both Ranger Velonara and Vivianne have informed me of what went on at your garrison. According to Vivianne you looked worse than some of the undead she knew. I would assume it was almost as bad as you've looked since the arcwine."

Aelwynn grimaced, raising her broken arm and glaring in confusion at the wrapping. "When..."

"Two days ago." Sylvanas said. "Esme came in and had your arm wrapped up before you fell asleep. You've awakened on and off but she and I have taken turns keeping an eye on you."

Aelwynn nodded tiredly. "Well, that's the last two days in a row I'll be spending in bed..." She said, sitting up and swinging her legs off the side of the bed. Sylvanas watched her get up and stretch, drinking in the narrow shoulders and hips, watching her core muscles stretch and flex as her tunic raised above the waistband of the leather short breeches they had put her in. Her hip bones stood out in stark contrast to her flat stomach, which worried Sylvanas. Her collar bones, knee and elbow joints, and the bones in her bare wrist and ankles were more pronounced. Sylvanas had noticed when they'd made love that Aelwynn's ribs were far too visible. She'd improved quite a bit though, her skin slowly coming back to her normal pale color, and her eyes had started to return to their arcane green, although there was a bit more blue in them than before. Her hair had started growing back in blonde, though Sylvanas would say that she enjoyed the lighter color.

Aelwynn would have smirked, had it not been for the flash of concern that had shown in her beloved's crimson gaze. "Sylvanas?" She asked.

The Banshee Queen rose from the bed, coming over to her Hunter and tracing her collar bones through the shirt. As she looked her lover's face over, she could see more signs of malnourishment. Aelwynn had always been slender, yet strong. Something that was a result of her training and life as a hunter. She was equal parts fierce agility and flowing grace, but that grace had turned awkward now. Where her movements were smooth before, due to the thin, lankiness of her limbs, now it was almost harsh. "I hadn't realized how little you weigh..." She said quietly.

Aelwynn raised a brow. "I suppose it's a part of aging..." She hedged, looking down at her body. She knew it wasn't, but this argument was not one she wanted to have right now.

Sylvanas shook her faded blonde head. "No...this isn't weight loss due to aging...I need you to make me a promise..." She said to her love. Aelwynn watched her intently and nodded. "Please, eat something. You look as though a small wind could take you away...I hadn't realized before, at least not consciously. You're not healthy, my love, and that scares me." Sylvanas finished.

Aelwynn nodded again. "I promise. It won't be easy...I haven't been eating because I was so busy trying to _stay_ busy. And I'm sure that with the arcwine, it's been eating away at my muscle tone and whatever fat I had. I didn't realize I looked so terrible."

Sylvanas leaned down and kissed her love, tracing a pronounced cheekbone with her thumb. "I am glad you're looking better. Your hair is coming back in blonde...though I must say I rather enjoyed the lighter color...something about your hair almost white is...captivating. And your eyes... _Surfal_ , I don't know if it's the arcane energies you're giving off, but they're turning a bit blue. I must say, you would make a rather attractive High Elf..." She said.

Aelwynn smirked. "So tell me, Banshee Queen, had I been born closer to you in age...would something have come of it?"

Sylvanas scooped her up, chuckling. "Oh most definitely. I would certainly have noticed you. And upon noticing you, it is entirely possible I would have gone out of my way to court you and make you mine."

Aelwynn smiled, the smile falling quickly. "To be honest, I'm glad I wasn't born sooner. I don't know how I would have survived losing you to Arthas. It took everything in me to wait until we were strong enough to take him down, if he had taken you from me I would have gotten myself killed going after him." She said, cupping Sylvanas' cheeks. "I know for a fact that you still would have done everything you could to make sure he didn't get past the elf gate. If I had been your lover...your wife...I would have fought tooth and nail to make sure you were away from him."

* * *

She stood in front of the mirror, straightening her armor and smoothing down her tabard before she put her belt on. Sylvanas had asked the leatherworkers to take her armor and adjust it so the set would fit her thin frame. She sighed and stood straighter, nodding to herself as she grabbed her gauntlets.

Sylvanas watched her quietly from the door, chuckling softly and shaking her head, silver-blonde hair swaying with the movement. "You know, _surfal_ , if you pull on it any more, you're going to need it adjusted again.

Aelwynn turned, her gaze meeting Sylvanas'. She held out her hand, opening her fingers. Her ring and a chain were sitting in the palm of her hand. "My gauntlet won't fit with my ring on, would you?" She asked, gesturing to the ring.

Sylvanas nodded, taking the ring and chain out of her hand before draping it around her neck and fastening it into place. Her Hunter tucked the ring beneath her chest armor, turning and smiling slightly, leaning up and kissing Sylvanas' cheek.

"Thanks." She said quietly.

Sylvanas cupped her cheek. "I know this isn't how you planned to return. Truthfully I want you to stay here with me, but I know they need you."

Her Hunter sighed. "I don't want to go back to the Lodge. I'll go back to the Shore, I just don't want to be near that place again." Aelwynn said almost desperately. She closed her eyes and swallowed nervously, relaxing as she felt two chilled hands on her cheeks.

" _Surfal_ , look at me." Sylvanas said quietly.

Aelwynn opened her eyes, taking a deep breath as her lover nodded.

"I'll be joining you at the Lodge today, I want to speak with the Rangers there and see how the recruits are coming along."

Aelwynn eyed her suspiciously, tilting her head when the Dark Lady smirked. "Are you sure that's why you're going?"

Sylvanas chuckled huskily, leaning forward and giving Aelwynn a soft kiss. "It's the main reason. Does that bother you?" She asked, raising a blonde brow and eyeing her lover.

Aelwynn scowled playfully. "I guess it should..." She grinned, shaking her head.

* * *

Aelwynn stepped in the door of Trueshot Lodge, annoyance radiating off of her in waves. Sylvanas had insisted that she accompany the Huntmistress under the guise of 'checking in with Velonara personally'. Aelwynn knew otherwise.

She headed up the ramp where her personal quarters were, opening the door and lighting the lamps. Her room was a mess, further escalating her annoyance, and she stepped out the door, calling for the Dark Rangers.

Velonara came up the ramp, Sylvanas and Lenara in tow.

"What in the name of Azshara's teeth happened in here?!" She snapped.

Velonara looked displeased. "Shadewarden sent two of her personal guard in here. We weren't allowed to interfere." Aelwynn turned to Lenara.

"Get her up here, and her guards are to remain at their posts, at arrowpoint if need be. Take Moorgoth with you. He can prove he's useful."

Lenara nodded and headed down the ramp.

Shadewarden entered, smiling falsely and held her hands out. "Huntmistress, I'm so glad you're okay."

Aelwynn grabbed her by the neck of her mail armor, slamming her against the wall and drawing her skinning knife.

"I demand to know why your minions were in my room. And I'd better like the answer, Night Elf. I don't suffer fools." She said.

Emmarel's countenance turned furious . "You rose through the ranks far too quickly, took command as soon as you arrived here. The Unseen Path is mine to command, it belongs to no one else. I needed to know what power you had over the members so I could expose you as a fraud and then take back the respect I was owed."

Aelwynn grit her teeth, muttering an expletive in Thalassian. "There is no 'power' to be had. If you can't gain respect from your followers, you aren't fit to lead. I don't want to command them. But, a true commander will not ask their subordinates to do tasks the commander would not do themselves. That's a very simple way to garner respect."

They heard a knock on the door and the Huntmistress sighed in barely restrained annoyance. She nodded to Velonara and released Shadewarden, turning to the door.

Addie stood on the other side and Aelwynn's features softened. "Sorry to bother you, Huntmistress, you're needed downstairs."

She nodded. "Thank you, Addie."

She turned to Sylvanas and Velonara. "I'll be back in a minute. If you do anything to her, make sure it doesn't leave bruises." She said, raising a brow before heading out the door.

She grit her teeth and sighed. _'Great...this is not going to go well.'_ She thought, eyeing Vereesa Windrunner as she came in the door of the Lodge.

"There you are. Where have you been, your troops-"

"They're not my troops. Just ask Shadewarden. I'm not in charge of this establishment and quite frankly I should have left the week I arrived. Now, Windrunner, why are you here?" Aelwynn snapped.

Vereesa looked the other woman over, noting the lack of weight and the ashen color to her skin. "What happened to you?" She asked.

Aelwynn's ears flattened against her head. "A lack of control and a generous stash of arcwine. I'll ask again. Why are you here?" She said.

"I heard you were coming back, I wanted to see you."

Aelwynn frowned "Why? I would have thought that after our failure to find your sister you'd be the next Windrunner to ignore my existence."

Vereesa shook her head. "I remember talking with you back at the temple, before the trial. When we were on that mission together you told me what...what Sylvanas had done..."

Aelwynn scoffed. "Wasn't really a surprise, was it. She's here. Up in my quarters probably beating Shadewarden into submission for going through my room."

"You told me not to leave marks, so I scared her." Sylvanas said from behind her, smirking as her Hunter turned to look at her.

Aelwynn raised a brow. "Think she learned her lesson? If not, it isn't too late to carve her throat out with my skinning knife." She replied, her pale green eyes glittering.

Sylvanas shook her head, looking to her sister. "Not necessary." She said slowly.

Aelwynn looked between the women. "I'll give you two a moment. I have scouts to send out." She said quietly.

She bowed her head to Vereesa and turned to her lover. "Have Velonara come find me when you're ready to leave." She said, kissing Sylvanas softly.

* * *

"Huntmistress Nightstrider! We need you down at Thunder Totem. The Legion has invasion ships there."

She turned and pointed to Lenara and Velonara. "You two, with me. Shadewarden, keep those two here. _Anar'alah,_ if you let either one of them out of your sight I will kill you myself." She snapped.

She headed out the door and toward the flightmaster, calling for more of their troops. "Highmountain is under attack, they need our help. Move out!" She shouted.

* * *

Sylvanas heard Aelwynn's shout and turned toward the door, glaring as Shadewarden stepped between her and the exit.

"I apologize, but Huntmistress Nightstrider told me to keep the two of you here. It isn't safe." She explained harshly.

The Dark Lady shook her head. "I have no time for your little game, Night Elf. You _will_ move out of my way, or whatever she threatened to do to you, I will do tenfold. You will then be raised and killed again."

She and Vereesa headed out the door as the woman moved.

* * *

When the Windrunner sisters landed at Thunder Totem, the fighting had been going on for some time, pieces of Infernals littered the ground and corpses of fel bats were draped over the railings.

"They've gone after one of the fel commanders. Intel says he's a doomlord, Erixtol." Mayla Highmountain explained, pointing to the ship where Sylvanas spotted the shadows of several eagles. She grit her teeth in frustration, deciding that for now they were going to be more useful taking care of the remaining demons. "We may as well help while we're here." She said shortly to Vereesa. Her sister nodded but said nothing.

* * *

Dispatching the demons aboard the ship was proving to be difficult. As soon as one was down, another group would filter up from the lower levels.

Aelwynn killed two Eredar warriors, ducking as a blade whipped over her head. It caught the end of her left ear, slicing through it cleanly. She hissed through her teeth, pulling her ranger blade and whirling, stabbing it up through the hulking figure's chest. They heard a cracking noise as a large succubus sprinted down the ramp. Aelwynn dodged the first two swipes from the succubus' whip, quickly sheathing her ranger blade and bringing her bow up to block the third. It wrapped around her weapon and with a harsh yank the bow went flying across the room. She bared her canines, dodging another crack from the whip and rolled to get to her bow. Pain shot across her face like a bolt of lightning as the whip struck, slicing through her chin and up her cheek before the lick from the whip tore through her face. All she could see was blood.

Velonara froze as she heard Aelwynn cry out and turned to see the Huntmistress struggling to her knees, her hands pressed over her face. A wicked looking succubus was grinning maliciously, the whip in her hands dripping with blood. She shouted in an attempt to get Aelwynn's attention and whipped her bow around to fire off a shot at the Eredar behind the Hunter. Her shot was a second too slow.

Aelwynn heard Velonara call her name, but the agonizing pain tearing through her was too much to shake her out of her stupor. She felt the Eredar behind her, felt the heat from his blade and caught the scent of brimstone and sulfur. His grip on her neck was hot, too hot, and she could feel the skin on her neck almost blistering. Her last thought was of Sylvanas as she felt the scorching blade pierce through the mail tunic, the unbearable heat sliding through her chest.

His hand gripped the front of Aelwynn's neck and he pulled her back, the glowing blade skewering the quiver of arrows and erupting from her chest before the Dark Ranger's arrow sailed almost completely through his head. Both Dark Rangers cried out as their Commander's body fell to the ground, unmoving.

The demon behind Velonara cackled before slamming into her, throwing her to the ground where she skidded to a halt next to the Banshee Queen's consort, her eyes meeting the bloodied, lifeless gaze of Aelwynn Nightstrider.

* * *

Sylvanas froze, her eyes landing on the ship as if she felt what had happened. She could feel the shock seeping through her connection to her rangers.

Vereesa noticed her sister falter and stepped forward hesitantly. "What is it?" She asked.

Sylvanas looked over, confusion and shock on her face. "Something is wrong."

* * *

 **Please don't hate me...**


	10. Chapter 10

**Here we go, kids...**

* * *

Velonara grabbed Aelwynn's bow and shifted it onto her back, one of the Highmountain Tauren that had come with the group gingerly pulled the blade from her back and picked up Aelwynn's lifeless corpse, carrying it through the portal and standing back away from the fight. Erixtol was a massive demon, exceptionally powerful and it took almost too long to send him back to the Twisting Nether. When he was killed, Lasan landed with their eagles, his eyes meeting Velonara's. "Let's take her back to Thunder Totem. We can house her body in the inn until it's safe to move beyond the city."

Velonara nodded numbly, leading the procession of shell-shocked fighters to their mounts.

* * *

The explosion was spectacular, almost like a shower of fireworks. Pieces of the invasion vessels rained down in small chunks, but that wasn't what caught Sylvanas' gaze.

"They made it off." She said, relief coloring her tone.

Vereesa sighed gratefully, nodding. "Good."

* * *

Velonara stumbled off the eagle as it landed. "We need to get her inside. Now." She said. The Tauren holding her, a young Highmountain druid named Nahaul nodded, leading the way into the tunnel system. Once they were inside Velonara led the way to the elevator, her unbeating heart in her throat. "We'll take her to the inn." Nahaul said softly, climbing onto the elevator as the rest of their group rushed behind him. Lenara made eye contact with Velonara, both rangers still in shock. The younger ranger shook her head, her gaze falling on Aelwynn's still form as dusty tears formed in her eyes.

"Lenara, go with them, I need to go find the Dark Lady." Velonara said, quickly rounding the corner and heading over toward the flight path. She looked to her left, finding the Banshee Queen and hurried to her, grabbing her arm. "Lady Sylvanas, what are you doing here?" She asked shakily.

Sylvanas frowned. "I followed your group. I saw the explosion. You did well." She said quietly, nodding. "Where is Aelwynn?" She asked.

Velonara looked to the inn, her undead heart shattering. "They-they took her into the inn. Milady..." She hesitated as her Queen headed toward the inn. "She's gone..." She said softly, genuine sorrow and pain in her tone.

Sylvanas froze, her eyes wide. "What?" She said, her voice hollow.

Velonara stared at her feet for a moment, one set of crimson orbs meeting another. "We were trying to clear enough demons out to plant the explosives. She took a strike to the face from a succubus' whip. It dropped her to her knees. I tried to get her attention, and when I knew she was too distracted by the pain I took the shot. There was an Eredar behind her. I was too slow." Her ranger said, shame and shock bleeding into her tone. "It killed her instantly." She said.

Sylvanas took off toward the inn, her sister and fellow Dark Ranger hot on her heels. As the stepped in the door of the Inn, Sylvanas pulled her hood down, searching the room. Lenara knelt next to Aelwynn's head, her Hunter's hand clutched between the Dark Ranger's. Lenara had been one of the younger rangers, and had trained with Aelwynn and her 'pack' as the rangers fondly called them. When Sylvanas had told the women that she planned to propose to the Blood Elf, Velonara and Lenara decided they were going to be the ones who kept tabs on Aelwynn while she was on the Broken Shore.

She looked up, standing quickly and ducking her head. "My Lady...I'm so sorry." She looked up, bright red eyes misty. "We got separated. I should have stayed at her side."

Sylvanas' chest ached, and she stepped forward, her hand coming up to rest on Lenara's shoulder. She passed the Ranger and the Druid, sinking to her knees and staring at her lover. She reached out and turned Aelwynn's face, a keening Wail sticking in her throat as she saw her lover's glassy eye, the other side of her face ravaged by a deep black wound that still dripped blood.

Velonara and Lenara took each other's hands, their eyes never leaving their leader, both gazes watching as a soul-wracking shudder went through her frame.

Sylvanas went cold, like she'd been submerged in the wastes of Northrend once again. Black vapors seemed to seep from every inch of her, snuffing out the dim lights in the room, and she heard both rangers cry out to everyone in the vicinity, but her only thought was of the long stretch of _eternity_ she was now facing, alone. She was helpless again...lost...her mind scattered into millions of pieces. All she knew was the hollow feeling, the bone-deep _loss_ devouring her rapidly. _'She's gone...she's-'_ A Wail ripped through the air, the true Wail of a banshee. The Wail of the Banshee Queen.

* * *

Tarin had rushed to Highmountain the moment she got the summons from one of Sylvanas' Dark Rangers. Her heart was frozen in her chest, anguish and fury dueling inside her for control. She hated Sylvanas with a passion, always had. Proudrunner knew Aelwynn had been killed by a demon, Clea had mentioned that in the letter the Rogue received, but it didn't stop her from throwing all of the blame on the Dark Lady.

Sylvanas had done nothing but make her cousin's life a living hell.

She landed just as Sylvanas' agonized Wail tore through Highmountain.

* * *

Carlisle and Sif looked around at the amount of fallen animals and demons that surrounded Thunder Totem, both horrified by the sheer number of slain wildlife.

Sif held up a hand and crouched, looking over a large Elderhorn that had fallen. "Carlisle...these creatures weren't killed with weapons...or spells. It looks like they just dropped dead."

Carlisle shook his head in confusion, looking at the dead beast when he registered footsteps coming near them. "It was a Wail..." He heard and looked up to meet Montaygne's sorrowful gaze. "I came as soon as I realized what Sylvanas was feeling."

Both elves looked at him in confusion. "A wail? Feeling?" Sif asked hesitantly.

The undead's shoulder's dropped and he shook his head, a rattling sigh reverberating through his decayed chest. "Come up to the inn." He said, waving them to follow.

* * *

Loki and two other mages worked quickly to form the portal to Undercity, the Mage blinking back tears and swallowing a harsh sob as his hands shook. He needed to get the portal open successfully and mentally shook himself. He stepped back as the portal formed and turned to Sylvanas. "It's ready." He rasped, nodding to her and looking to the covered pallet between his guildmates. He followed as they carted Aelwynn's body through the portal, taking his wife's hand and touching the rippling semi-surface.

* * *

Sylvanas used her necrotic magic to keep Aelwynn's body preserved, and waved Sif and Esme in to help clean her up. "My lady, are we going to have a ceremony for her..." Sif struggled with a descriptor for raising her into undeath.

Sylvanas frowned slightly. "I'm not sure. If you want to be present for it, your group is welcome, although there isn't much you can do." She dropped her eyes to the ground. "I'm going to do the best I can to keep the worst of the pain from her, but coming into undeath is never easy...and it's far from painless."

Tarin stepped in the door. "Then don't raise her."

Sylvanas' gaze snapped to the Rogue.

Esme and Sif both turned, frowns on their faces. Esme spoke up. "Tarin, it was Aelwynn's choice. She wanted to be raised. Can't you respect that?"

The Rogue glared at the Priest. "Think about what you're saying. Aelwynn is _dead_. What happened to your ideals of the 'sanctity of life' and all that?" She turned to Sif. "And you...you're a Paladin...how can you be supportive of this? She's going to desecrate Aelwynn's soul...how do we know that there's even going to be anything left of the girl we knew?"

Sif glared at her sister-in-law. "How can you be so callous? You _never_ liked the fact that she fell in love with Sylvanas. If it had been different, and Sylvanas raised her without her permission, I would be angry. But she wanted this. Sylvanas came to us asking for permission...Tarin, you've spent so much of your life trying to protect her, but you don't need to. She's been an adult for years now, why can't you accept the fact that you're not her mother. Her parents died."

Tarin shook her head. "We're all she has...had left. How can you say you're okay with her bringing Aelwynn back from the dead...she's gone. Maybe it's better this way. We don't know what she's going to bring back. I'd rather remember Aelwynn when she was healthy than end up watching Sylvanas raise a mindless slave."

Sylvanas could see the Rogue's point. For once she truly hated herself for being so selfish. In the same moment, Sylvanas knew she couldn't live out the rest of her existence without the Hunter by her side. She struggled with her decision, raising Aelwynn came with a maelstrom of conflicting feelings. She loved her too much to curse her, yet she wanted to honor the Blood Elf's wishes. Sylvanas didn't know how she would be able to go on with her Hunter, her bond mate, her consort gone.

* * *

Sif and Esme stood near the back of the room, their husbands and the rest of the Soldiers of Misfortune held posts around the Banshee Queen and their fallen friend. Esme had done her best to clean Aelwynn's wounds, taking great care with the large open gash on her face. Her hands had trembled and tears had streamed down her cheeks as she tried her best to take care of the wounds. Holy magic couldn't touch it because there was no life in the body before her.

Whatever warmth had been in the room was drawn out as Sylvanas placed her hand on her dead lover's chest, the hollow intonation of her voice echoing off the walls surrounding them as she began the necromantic chant.

Sif shuddered as the Light within her flexed its power in her core. She and Esme locked gazes, both willing the other to ignore the prodding feeling the power was giving them. She took Loki's hand, squeezing tightly and taking a deep breath as Sylvanas' voice rattled around them. _'Light help us. Please. Our family has fallen too soon. We need her...she needs her.'_

Sylvanas shook as her necromantic powers wove through her like tar through cracked ground. She could feel the Light in the room pulling against her and squeezed her eyes shut, huffing an unneeded breath as she kept pushing her powers forward. Her eyes snapped open and she watched the black mists coalesce around Aelwynn's form and she pressed on, forcing the final lines through clenched teeth.

Phantom pains stabbed through Sylvanas' chest as she felt her connection to her lover form, the pain flaring as she relived the moment Aelwynn died. She could almost feel the heat of the blade as it sunk through her chest, the trickle of blood on her face from the whip. _'Please, my love. Please come back to me...I'll do anything.'_ She pleaded desperately.

They could see the color leech out of Aelwynn's body completely, her hair and skin paling rapidly. The gash on her face mended almost completely, leaving a dark black scar down the stretch of the wound. Her corpse jerked obscenely, her jaw dropping open at an odd angle as her back arched and a scream tore through the air.

Nikola stepped forward as he saw Sylvanas' legs falter and he gently grasped her arm, steadying her. He understood her condition to a certain extent, pulling life into a rotting corpse and extending a connection to it was taxing, and the first few times he'd done it had been completely draining. But where he was simply raising a mindless ghoul to control with the sole purpose of aiding him in battle, The Banshee Queen had to use every bit of energy she could muster in order to bring Aelwynn through the connection.

Sylvanas turned to Nikola and nodded her thanks, leaning on the stone table they had placed Aelwynn's body on. She sat on the edge, dropping her chin to her chest and closing her eyes, opening her senses to Aelwynn's mind. _'Let me in,_ Dalah'surfal _...let me **in**. Please, my love...'_

Aelwynn's gauntlet-covered hand twitched and a disturbing groan was pulled from her as her eyes rolled open, her strange burgundy gaze blank.

Sylvanas opened her eyes, her gaze landing on her lover's face. She could sense Aelwynn reaching out to her and leaned forward, pulling her own gauntlet off and cupping the Hunter's cheek.

* * *

 _Aelwynn was lost._

 _Her surroundings were pitch black, and the air reeked of sulfur, from behind her she could hear demonic hooves slamming against the ground beneath her._

 _"Aelwynn?" She heard and she looked around, her eyes wide._

 _"Ry?" She asked shakily. "Ry, where are you?!"_

 _She saw a smoky form gather before her, and she met the pale green gaze of her older brother. "Hey mite." She heard his voice and she started to cry, she'd always hated that nickname until now. He nodded and his eyes smiled, but his mouth didn't move._

 _Confused, she stared her older brother down through her tears. "Ry? What's happening? I remember being on that invasion ship with Velonara and the others..." Her voice trailed off and her eyes widened. "I died..." She said, her voice hollow._

 _He nodded solemnly. "You did, mite. There's a reason why you're here, and you know it. She's bringing you back, kid. You just have to help her."_

 _Aelwynn frowned. "I don't know how..." She bit her bottom lip._

 _Ryatherion's eyes smiled again and he shook his head. "You have to let go, mite." He said._

 _The smoke drifted closer to her and she looked up at him._

 _"Close your eyes, Aelwynn. Close them tight and take a deep breath. Just like the first time you met her. You remember what happened?"_

 _She jerked as the memory came to her unbidden, how her hand had closed around her father's dagger, the sounds of the undead members of her family breaking down the door. How the gore had splattered on her as she moved purely on adrenaline and terror._

 _"No, no mite. Don't remember us like that. Ever. Remember the first time your eyes met. You might not believe it, mite, but the moment you two looked at each other, your fates were decided." He explained._

 _"Close your eyes. Remember the first time you looked into her eyes. That fear, let it go. You trust her, mite. You love her. Remember that."_

 _She felt herself settle down, and opened her eyes as he turned. "Wait!" She said, holding her hands out._

 _"It's okay, mite. We're all here. We're all watching you. I can't even begin to tell you how proud we all are. You've done so much good, but you still have more to do."_

 _"Will I see you again?" She asked hesitantly._

 _"I'll be here to get both of you when it's time to go. You're gonna go together, you know? It won't be for a long, long time, but you won't go by yourself, and neither will she."_

 _She felt a warm hand on her shoulder and looked up at him with a nod. "Okay..."_

 _A startled yell left her lips as a rough grip closed around her throat and yanked her backwards._

* * *

Sylvanas paced endlessly, her gaze never leaving the form on the stone slab.

Two hours had passed since she performed the ritual, two hours where the lifeless eyes of her consort had opened, yet it was as if there was no soul behind them.

Sylvanas was endlessly frustrated, a harsh stab of worry filtering through her as she felt the bond between herself and Aelwynn ebb for a moment. Something was wrong. She knew it.

She walked to the slab, her gaze scanning the Hunter for any sign of movement, biting off a sob as she once again registered only stillness.

She could _feel_ Aelwynn with her, in her mind. The unique feeling of home, warmth, unbearably painful _love_ , yet there was nothing from Aelwynn's physical form.

Anxiety began to build in her chest, a tight knot that settled at the base of her throat and would have caused her to hyperventilate had she still needed to draw breath.

 _"Then don't raise her."_

That's what the Rogue had said. Don't raise her. Leave her be. Let her be at peace.

Sylvanas yearned for peace for _years_ after she'd been brought back. The only semblance of peace had come when she'd finally let her walls crumble and allowed Aelwynn into her unbeating heart. They had struggled, fought, argued, lost one another but had inevitably been drawn back together, a mated pair of birds on the wind.

She had few regrets in her un-life. She had forged her own path and had much to show for her resilience and determination. The Wrathgate had been regrettable, trusting Putress and Varimathras was a mistake she would likely pay for through the rest of her eternity. Trusting her sister was a painful lesson, one that had led to a crippling loss because she had allowed her pain and fury to overwhelm her. Now, it seemed raising Aelwynn would be another. She had tried to keep her lover, her Consort, tied to her by any means, and for all her efforts she was left with an incomplete bond. A piece of her beloved's soul resided in her, she could sense that. But the body before her was as inanimate as the slab it lay on, another painful reminder that for all Sylvanas' bravado, all of her pride and ego, she could still fail.

She failed Aelwynn. Failed to protect her, failed to save her, and now she failed to bring her back. Failed to let go, to allow the one being in the world, the universe, that she truly loved beyond all things to know the taste of true death. To rest.

Hopeless resignation and unbearable heartbreak caused her to collapse to her knees next to the stone table. Harsh sobs wracked the body of the Dark Lady as she clutched at the stiff hand of the woman who had been hers, apologies and cries for forgiveness fell from her lips as dusty tears fell from her cheeks, leaving black streaks below her eyes. Hollowness settled into her soul, and Sylvanas Windrunner let go.

* * *

She couldn't breathe. Her hearing picked up the shuffling of feet, of gear rattling down the corridor, and several voices speaking outside the door. She felt a hand brush her hair off her forehead, the fingertips warm and soothing. She blinked and glanced around the chambers. She was home, in Undercity. She tried to take a breath, frowning when the move caused a shaft of pain to lance through her ruined chest. She grunted as she was pulled up from the slab and into the tightest hug she'd been given in years, the scent of her lover settling over her.

Sylvanas stroked the back of her head. "Thank the gods..." She breathed, her voice trembling. "I was afraid you were never coming back to me, _surfal_. I thought I failed..." She said quietly.

"How-" She was startled by the sound of her own voice, and she realized that Sylvanas had actually honored her wishes. "How long?" She asked.

Sylvanas pulled back, her hands cupping Aelwynn's cheeks and taking in her lover's face. "We got back from the Broken Shore two days ago. You've been in some sort of trance for the last three hours or so." She said.

Aelwynn nodded slowly, grimacing. Necromantic energy may have been coursing through her body now in place of actual life, but she could almost swear her reanimated joints creaked and groaned as she moved. She swung her legs over the side of the stone slab, cautiously bracing herself against Sylvanas' thigh as she stood.

Sylvanas studied her features quietly, taking in the burgundy of her left eye and the faded reddish-black of her right, the black markings that now lined the outer corners of her eyes and ran down the right side of her face, the white almost-pale blue tint to her hair, and the pale grey to her skin. She watched her lover move around the room clumsily, the use of her newly reanimated joints difficult due to stiffness. Sylvanas was up and steadying her before she realized she had nearly fallen, and she huffed an unneeded breath.

"Great...agility was my strongest characteristic in life...now I have as much coordination as a newborn Dusthoof..." She muttered.

Sylvanas chuckled softly. "It will take a bit to get used to, but once your muscles loosen up you'll be back to chasing Loki around as if nothing happened." She said.

Aelwynn looked down at the hands on her arms in confusion. "I didn't expect your hands to be warm."

Sylvanas watched her quietly, and for the first time felt settled in their relationship. She'd never found herself lacking before, but now she and Aelwynn were the same. Something she felt strangely glad about.

* * *

 **Well...this happened. She's back! This was a rough chapter to write, there were so many paths that wanted to go in a billion directions. All these ideas rattled around in my head like buckshot. Let me know what you think guys! As always, thanks for reading.**


	11. Chapter 11

**Ladies and Gents, I have returned. I'm saving you all from a grueling author's note. We're jumping right in and all I will say is it's good to be back, and of course, like always...Enjoy!**

* * *

Aelwynn stared at herself in the mirror, taking in the changes to her as a consequence of the ritual. She frowned and eyed her left ear, noticing for the first time the jagged slice and blackened skin. She took in the large scar down the side of her face and turned to the left, taking in the damage done to her by the succubus' whip. Her right eye was nearly black, cloudy crimson bleeding into the orb, her vision almost completely gone. Her hair was still unruly, even in undeath, but the pale blonde was now a bluish white, and her skin a washed out grey, darkening out around her eyes and mouth. She considered her reflection, the last harrowing moment of her life stretching out before her eyes as it played in her memory. The agonizing pain in her face from the whip tearing into her flesh, the searing heat in her chest as the Eredar blade slid through muscle, sinew and bone. Her death hadn't brought her to the moment where her life flashed before her eyes, where every experience she had, good and bad, monumental and unimportant would play before her. She'd felt the heat of the blade piercing through her, and then nothing.

Sylvanas leaned against the doorframe as she watched her Hunter with a slight tilt to her lips, taking in the expressions of the woman through the reflection of the mirror. Her relief was insurmountable. Those few hours when Sylvanas had reanimated Aelwynn's ravaged body and those terrifyingly empty eyes had opened were the hardest she'd experienced in a long time. She caught her hunter's gaze in the reflection, her small smile widening in relief. Sylvanas could feel a shaft of warmth pulse in her chest and she strode across the room confidently.

Aelwynn turned, leaning back against the chest of drawers where the mirror was installed, a smirk on her lips as her lover came closer. She watched the sway in Sylvanas' hips and reached out to cup her hip, leaning into Sylvanas as their lips met. The Huntmistress broke the kiss, her eyes closing and a frown marring her ravaged face as Sylvanas' fingertips traced the black scar.

"I'm sorry." Sylvanas whispered, her gaze dropping to the top of the scar on Aelwynn's chest, her eyes saddened and voice hollow.

"You saved me. You brought me back. Don't apologize for that." Aelwynn replied, reaching up and placing her hand over the one on her cheek.

"These scars will always look this way, because of what I did." The Banshee Queen stated, her gaze meeting her Hunter's.

Aelwynn chuckled, raising an eyebrow. "From what I've heard, ladies seem to enjoy scars." She said with a wink.

Sylvanas narrowed her eyes, her gaze calculating despite the smile that curved her lips. "Oh? And who might these ladies be? I'd like to know what sort of competition I'm facing."

Aelwynn's smile faded, her gaze dropping to Sylvanas' lips again. "It's always been you. Just you. There's never been anyone else. "

Sylvanas smirked. "I don't see why. You could have your pick of women. I've seen the way some of my Rangers look at you. And I saw several Night Elves and Human women that couldn't take their eyes off of you while we were retaking Orgrimmar."

Aelwynn's gaze turned introspective for a moment, and then cleared as she looked into Sylvanas' eyes once again. "Ry was there, after I died. I had no idea what was happening, just that I wasn't alive anymore and I heard him." She watched her lover intently as she continued. "He told me that the first time we met, it sealed our fates. We were supposed to meet and fall in love. I'll be the first to admit I don't believe in fate or destiny, at least not as something that determines what your life is going to be, but being with you, knowing that I'm _meant_ to be with you when there's _so much_ we don't understand going on, it means everything to me."

Sylvanas' features softened and a small smile played gently at her lips. "It does to me as well, _surfal_."

* * *

Nathanos stepped into the upper courtyard and watched Sylvanas' Consort with equal parts revulsion and understanding as she trained. He understood fully the struggle coming back into existence after undeath, the feeling of having to force necromantic-revived limbs into habits and movements that had been natural in life. He frowned as he felt the need to correct her stance as she drew an arrow and settled it on the string, a sympathetic wince forming on his face as she glared down the range. She pulled the arrow back and eyed the target, overcorrecting a bit too much as she loosed the arrow and her ears pinned back against her head as it flew wide, striking the wall to the right behind the target. He stepped forward, arranging his features passively as she turned to look at him.

Aelwynn raised a brow, looking at him blankly. "Blightcaller." She deadpanned.

"I apologize, Queen-Consort. I didn't mean to interrupt you." He said haltingly.

She shook her head, resting the bow against the training quiver next to her foot and scrubbed a hand over her face. "It's fine. I think I'm done for now." She replied.

"If I may..." He hesitated, his tone sharp as he reached for the training bow.

She gestured wordlessly with a limp wrist, stepping back and allowing Sylvanas' Champion to take her place.

"No, come forward." He said somewhat gently, handing her the weapon. She took it, watching him with notable hesitation and waited. "Take your normal stance, I will adjust your posture." He gave her a slight snort as she glared at him and he held a palm up. "Your form is perfect...for a member of the living. However, undeath does things to muscle and sinew that does not allow us to conform to prior training." He said, gesturing to her. He watched her roll her shoulders stiffly before nocking an arrow and pulling, straightening her spine and lifting her chin.

She stiffened as she felt his hand rest on her bow arm, forcing herself to relax as she registered what he was doing. He nudged her shoulder down a bit, walking to her other side and taking her right arm by the bicep and pushing her elbow closer to her chest. "The closer you allow your firing hand to stay to your chest, the better off you will be. Especially with the damage done to your chest muscles. If you were to continue using your training from before, you could possibly exacerbate the previous injury. You'll have a far easier time if you continue using what I've showed you, however, the issue with your sight is most likely something you will need to ask the Regent Lord about." He gestured to her right eye with his hand.

She frowned as she considered his advice. "Why are you helping me? It's not exactly a shock that we're not friendly to one another."

He sighed, looking over her shoulder to the target down the range. "For years, I had the Dark Lady's attention before we were killed and raised in the Lich King's servitude. Never in the way I wished but I had her focus all the same. After you caught her eye, I was jealous. I'm sure she told you of the struggle a former member of the Scourge has with emotions." He began.

Aelwynn nodded. "I'm sorry for how I've behaved toward you. My actions were...disagreeable. I felt threatened, to be honest. You shared common interests and experiences with her that I felt were more than enough to keep a wedge between us." She said quietly.

He eyed her shrewdly. "The experiences that she and I share are not something to be envious of. She trained me to be a Farstrider, however, the horrors of the Scourge are something that will continue to haunt all who experienced them. You know this firsthand, am I correct?" He asked.

She nodded, her jaw flexing in grim remembrance. "I do." She said quietly.

"I decided that it would be far easier on all of us if I were to help you adjust because those of us who broke away and followed the Dark Lady did not have the luxury of being taught how to make our existence more manageable. It's why we decided to retrain the newly raised Forsaken in battle tactics. We don't move as a living creature does, it isn't possible, so we found different ways to cope with undeath and its limitations."

Aelwynn nodded. She was silent for a moment, pursing her lips and looking up to the Champion of their people. "Train me." She said, her tone decisive.

He raised a brow in confusion, orange eyes narrowing and looking over her face. "Queen-Consort-"

"No. Huntmistress, Commander, whatever title you use for your trainees, but not Queen-Consort. I've had the training of a Sin'dorei, I _need_ the training of a Forsaken. You said it yourself, my former training doesn't fit me anymore. I need to know how our people hone their skills, Champion." She said, nodding her head as she used his title.

"She is correct, Nathanos. She needs to hone her skills as our people do." Sylvanas said as she stepped out of the shadows of a partially collapsed arch.

Both Forsaken straightened, one in deference to his Queen, the other in recognition of her bond-mate.

Sylvanas' crimson gaze slid from their Champion to her lover, a small smirk on her face. "As for titles, Nathanos will use whatever title he wishes."

Aelwynn huffed an unneeded sigh, rolling her eyes. "Then apparently Queen-Consort it is..." She said as she eyed the undead man.

* * *

Aelwynn stepped in the door of the chambers she and Sylvanas shared, exhilaration singing in her veins. Despite the energy drain she experienced because of the necromantic magics coursing through her, her training with Nathanos seemed to give her a boost. He was a difficult teacher and held nothing back which is exactly what she had hoped for. Their training today had consisted of close-quarters combat, and Aelwynn had smirked in triumph when she happened to quickly get a handle on his moves. Nathanos was quick, yet larger than she was, and though he seemed to move with a fluidity belying his undeath, once she took the first handful of blows she figured out his rhythm. He'd stepped back, readjusting his shirtsleeves and nodding at her once she blocked three rapid strikes in succession. She basked in the smug feeling she got after dodging a rather quick haymaker and dropping him to his knees with a knee to the stomach.

Sylvanas looked up from the scrolls on her desk, watching her lover stride confidently into the office. "My, what could cause such a triumphant spring in the step of such a beautiful creature?" She asked, raising a sultry brow and giving her Consort a teasing wink.

Aelwynn adopted a smug swagger as she walked toward her lover, grinning. "I'm here with you, isn't that reason enough?"

Sylvanas chuckled, tugging her lover to straddle her lap and kissing her softly. "Such a charmer." She whispered.

Aelwynn smirked, shrugging. "I do my best, milady."

"How was your training?" Sylvanas asked as she slipped her thumbs beneath her Hunter's shirt, stroking against the skin above her waistband and watching the younger woman with rapt attention.

The Huntmistress grinned mischievously. "It was great, I knocked Blightcaller off his feet." She said.

Aelwynn was awestruck at the beautiful sight of her Queen throwing her head back and laughing genuinely, the light from the torches in the room glinting off of her fangs and her silvery blonde mane. Sylvanas' laugh was carefree, joyous even, and Aelwynn's undead heart warmed knowing she was the cause of that laugh. She'd sell what was left of her soul just to spend the rest of her eternity listening to that gorgeous sound.

Sylvanas settled down, chuckling and shaking her head at her lover. "That, _surfal_ , is quite the accomplishment."

Aelwynn leaned forward, kissing Sylvanas deeply, sliding her fingers up the back of her Dark Lady's neck and threading her fingers through silver tresses.

The Banshee Queen groaned softly, pulling Aelwynn flush against her with one hand, the other cupping the back of the former Blood Elf's neck.

The Hunter drank in the taste of her lover, breaking the kiss and trailing her lips down the side of Sylvanas' neck. She scraped at the skin there with her canines, a soft purr in her throat as she felt fingernails dig into her hips.

Sylvanas pulled Aelwynn's lips back to hers, kissing her hungrily and nudging the former Blood Elf to her feet. "Bed, _Dalah'surfal_." She husked against the Hunter's lips.

Aelwynn tugged her to her feet, leading her to the bedroom doorway where she backed her into the wall, pinning her with another deep kiss, this one more aggressive and less restrained. Neither heard the knock on the door or heard the creak of the hinges as they were far too wrapped up in one another.

Sylvanas had untied Aelwynn's leather jerkin and had pulled it over her head as the door opened, and both froze as they heard a throat clear.

* * *

Nathanos knocked on the door to the Banshee Queen's study, waiting patiently for permission to enter. He knocked once again when he didn't hear a reply and opened the door as Nightstrider's training tunic hit the floor. He stopped for a moment, taking in the sight of his Queen and her lover in a passionate embrace and waited for the blinding rage to fill his mind. He was met with peace instead, as well as concern. He had known the Queen-Consort had many scars, most of which had been gained in the field. The scar from the worgen bite had faded to a pale white, and the one Sylvanas had mentioned seeing after the Hunter's return from Draenor stood out a bit, but the one that unsettled him was the long black scar that had spelled out the end of the younger woman's life. As an undead, he had little vanity left, even with the new body he had been given, and he knew almost all of the members of their race in some form or another. Scars and missing bits of flesh were a common thing, but Aelwynn Nightstrider's scars, both the ones that covered her body and the one that struck down her face made her seem dangerous.

He cleared his throat, watching as the two stilled.

Aelwynn broke the kiss, her strange gaze meeting her loves, heavy lidded eyes finding the Banshee Queen's crimson gaze and Sylvanas nudged the slightly shorter elf back a step, kissing her forehead before stepping around her to speak with Nathanos.

The Huntmistress grabbed her shirt off the floor and headed into the bedroom, attempting to cool her ardor a bit.

She sat at the foot of the bed, leaning down and undoing the buckles on her training boots. She sat up as she heard the door and leaned back on her hands as Sylvanas came in the door. "Is everything o-"

Sylvanas cut her off, kissing her hungrily as she pushed her farther up the bed and straddled her lap. She felt Aelwynn's nimble fingers undoing the laces to her top and broke the kiss as she sat up, pulling the tunic over her head. She leaned down, nipping at the underside of Aelwynn's jaw, a husky chuckle in her throat as the younger woman groaned softly.

Aelwynn shifted, drawing her fingernails up Sylvanas' back, one hand tracing the scar Frostmourne left as the other cupped the back of the Banshee Queen's neck. She shivered as she felt the former High Elf's lips brush the top of the black scar on her chest.

The Dark Lady kissed her Consort gently, resting her weight on her arms and watching her lover. Aelwynn's eyes opened slowly, the sight bringing a small smile to Sylvanas' face. "Hello." She whispered, stroking a pale grey cheekbone with her thumb.

"I love you." Aelwynn said quietly, arching up and capturing Sylvanas' mouth.

The Hunter nudged her lover onto her back, pinning Sylvanas' hands above her head and kissing her hungrily. She reached down, untying the laces of Sylvanas' breeches with one hand as she braced herself with the other, a soft groan in her throat as Sylvanas broke the kiss with a nip to Aelwynn's bottom lip.

"Having problems, _surfal_?" The Banshee Queen husked, tracing the scar on her Consort's face.

Aelwynn growled softly, nipping at Sylvanas' thumb. "I want you naked." She said, tugging at the laces and eyeing her fiancée.

Sylvanas smirked, arching her hips up and pushing them down her thighs. She chuckled at Aelwynn's frown, tugging her lover down and nipping at her ear. "The laces are decorative..." She rasped, a soft moan in her throat as Aelwynn slipped a hand between her legs.

Aelwynn chuckled, slipping two fingers into her lover and groaning softly. "Gods..."

The fallen High Elf rocked her hips as she pulled Aelwynn down to her, their lips meeting in a bruising, passionate kiss.

Aelwynn growled, dragging Sylvanas' leather trousers down her legs and tossing them over her shoulder. She slid her fingers through the slick between her lover's legs and broke the kiss, watching Sylvanas' face and smirking at the flash of desperate lust in crimson eyes.

"Do not even entertain the idea of teasing me, _Dalah'surfal_." Sylvanas husked, arching her back and gasping as she felt the former Blood Elf's fingers sink deeper into her and curl. A muttered Thalassian expletive left her lips as she brought her hand up to Aelwynn's shoulder and opened her eyes.

"Relax, my love." Aelwynn said as she leaned down, pressing a soft kiss to the Banshee Queen's lips before trailing her lips down Sylvanas' chest. She gave a dark nipple a teasing lick, chuckling at the groan she heard above her before she brushed her lips over a pale slate abdomen and down to her beloved's hip.

Sylvanas gasped and rocked her hips, leaning up on her elbows and watching the woman between her legs with heat in her eyes.

Aelwynn glanced up at her with a raised brow and a small smirk. "Where do you need me, love?" She asked.

"Please..." Sylvanas whispered, arching her hips again. "Please, my love...please..."

Aelwynn chuckled. "Please what?"

Sylvanas groaned softly, her gaze darting between Aelwynn's eyes and lips. "Plea-" The word died in her throat and her head dropped back as Aelwynn's lips brushed her flesh.

The Hunter nipped at the bundle of nerves, satisfaction and lust rolling through her as her lover choked on a shriek. She curled her fingers in a come-hither motion, groaning as she felt necromantic-fueled muscles clenching around her and flicked her tongue again with a smirk. Fingers slid into her hair and she opened her eyes, taking in the woman spread out before her and watching as a hand reached up to cup a pale breast. She sucked softly on the flesh between her lips, slipping a third finger into Sylvanas and groaning as she heard a gasp. She lifted her head, her thumb replacing her lips and watched her lover edge closer to climax.

"Gods, love. Please don't stop." Sylvanas said, a keening moan in her throat as she felt Aelwynn's hand slip from her intimate parts. "No..." She gasped.

Aelwynn knelt between her legs, kissing her hungrily and pushing her fingers back inside Sylvanas. She broke the kiss, her other hand cupping the back of Sylvanas' neck. "I've got you, my love. Look at me." She rasped.

Their eyes met and Aelwynn watched crimson eyes roll behind pale blue eyelids. "No no, love, look at me." She said, nodding as Sylvanas met her gaze again.

" _Surfal_..." Sylvanas whispered desperately, her hands coming up to Aelwynn's cheeks.

Aelwynn drank in her desperation, watching as she fought to keep her eyes open. "Let go when you're ready, love."

Sylvanas fought to contain a Wail as she found release, crying out as she climaxed. She felt Aelwynn's grin against her neck as the younger woman brought her through her orgasm and Sylvanas shivered, reaching down to touch herself as she felt a second orgasm rising in her.

"That's it, my love. Take as much as you need." Aelwynn rasped, watching Sylvanas fall apart beneath her.

* * *

Sylvanas draped herself over Aelwynn's chest, a soft hum in her throat as her Hunter relaxed beneath her. She felt fingers slipping through her hair and closed her eyes, taking a moment to bask in the warmth that came from a night with her lover. She cracked an eye open as she felt tugging at the side of her scalp and glanced up at Aelwynn, raising a brow at the concentration on her face.

She could feel Sylvanas' gaze on her face but kept her concentration on the task before her, weaving the hair above the former High Elf's ear into a braid, frowning as the lack of depth perception in her right eye skewed her vision.

Sylvanas closed her eyes again, smiling against Aelwynn's skin and pressing a kiss to her scarred and fractured sternum. "If you had left yours long, you could have done this to your own." She murmured quietly.

Aelwynn hummed, nodding and tying off the bottom of the braid with a leather lace. "I like long hair, on everyone else but me." She replied.

Sylvanas chuckled. "I see. I prefer yours this length as well. Even when you dry it after a bath and it stands on end."

Aelwynn huffed.

Sylvanas leaned up, nipping at Aelwynn's lips and smirking mischievously. "Besides, it's just long enough to get a handful of."

Aelwynn grinned, shaking her head and rolling her eyes. She stretched, the gesture no longer necessary yet a habit nonetheless and winced, taking in a sharp breath at the flash of pain in her chest.

Sylvanas winced as well, looking at her Consort worriedly. "Aelwynn?"

The Hunter shook her head. "Probably just the scar tissue. Esme's had to use her Shadow to help some of our people with theirs. Apparently it builds up and then hardens because of the lack of moisture in our skin." She said.

Sylvanas frowned. "You weren't raised by a val'kyr, or Menethil."

Aelwynn gave her a half shrug. "I don't know. Magic really isn't my forte."

The former High Elf's face took on a thoughtful look. "I want you to go speak with one of our healers in the morning."

Aelwynn raised a brow, narrowing her eyes slightly as she looked at her lover. "I'm f-"

Sylvanas hushed her with a soft kiss. "Just do it for me, please. _Surfal_ , I want you well. This may be nothing but I would rather be safe than sorry in this case. If there is something amiss, they will find it, and if there isn't, you will have put my mind at ease. I can't do any of this without you. And I don't mean ruling our people. I mean exist. I cannot fathom being in a world where you are not with me, I don't want to go through that. I did it after I raised you, before you returned to consciousness and that was something I don't care to repeat."

Aelwynn was silent for a moment, watching her Queen with a somber look. "Want to talk about it?" She asked.

The Banshee Queen sighed, looking at the scar on her lover's face. "Your eyes opened but there was nothing there, no life, no recognition. I was terrified that I had raised a mindless corpse. All I could do was worry that I failed you. It broke something in me." She hesitated for what seemed like an age, meeting Aelwynn's gaze, dusty tears in her eyes. "I was terrified that I had damned you, that I was going to spend the rest of this hellish eternity alone. I kept thinking back to what your cousin had said about leaving you in peace in your death and how I would never see you again."

Aelwynn pulled her up so they were face to face, wrapping her arms around Sylvanas' waist and holding her tightly. "I'm here, my love. I'm not going anywhere." She closed her eyes, relaxing into Sylvanas' arms, gritting her teeth as the pain flared in her chest again.

Sylvanas sat up. "We're going to the healers."

"Sylvanas, I'm okay. It's nothing that can't wait until tomorrow."

"No, we're going now. Stay there, I'll get us some clothes."

* * *

Aelwynn sat on the table, eyeing Lydon warily.

"Well, the good news is I don't believe this is a permanent situation. We can start working on a potion to help with some of the symptoms. A few days of resting your chest muscles and light duty and you should be back to normal." Lydon said.

Sylvanas frowned as she stood next to the table. "And the bad news, Apothecary."

"It isn't the scar tissue, my lady. At least not from what I can tell. We can try one or two more tests just to be sure, but the scar tissue will not spread because of the way she obtained the wound. The blade she was stabbed with cauterized the wound, so it won't have the same consistency as a scar from a plain blade, like the one on her side."

Nathanos stepped in the Apothecary's side room. "My Queen, Queen-Consort. Is something amiss?"

Aelwynn was taken aback by the concern in the Champion's tone. "It's nothing, Nathanos." She said quietly, nodding her thanks.

Sylvanas frowned at her lover, worry nagging at the back of her mind. "Do those other tests. And test the one on her face as well. I worry it might be the necromantic energies attempting to combat a demon-caused wound."

Lydon nodded, taking Aelwynn's face in his hands and probing with his magic, frowning as he was met with resistance. He pressed against the resistance, testing it for weak spots and she hissed through her teeth, jerking her face out of his hold and glaring at him.

"Milady..." Nathanos stepped in front of Aelwynn, looking her face over as a black vein started to spread across her cheek like a leeching wound, her entire right eye turning a dark black.

She growled, squeezing her eyes shut and bringing a hand up to rub at her eye, cracking her left eye open when a hand stopped her.

"Don't touch it, my love."

Aelwynn clenched her jaw, opening her other eye as her shoulders dropped.

"Queen Consort, can you close your left eye for me?" Lydon asked, waving his hand in front of the black orb resembling her right eye.

"It's as I thought." He said, his lank hair brushing his shoulders as he shook his head. "My Queen, the demonic magic has corrupted the nerves in her eye. I don't know what we need to do to stop it."

Aelwynn opened her good eye, swallowing reflexively and looking at Sylvanas.

"Lydon, do whatever research you feel will help, Nathanos, see if you can find a Druid or Mistweaver." Sylvanas asked softly, making her intentions known to the three in the room.

Nathanos frowned, following the Forsaken out the door.

* * *

"I can't see." Aelwynn said shakily, reaching for Sylvanas and gripping her hand tightly.

"Hush, _surfal_ , we will find out what is happening to you and reverse it."

"How am I supposed to do my job if I can't see?" She asked, fear bleeding into her tone. She tried to get off the table but was stopped by her fiancée.

"Aelwynn, look at me." Sylvanas said quietly, cupping her Hunter's cheeks. She waited until the woman's gaze settled on her. "I have you, my love. You're safe."

Aelwynn nodded, leaning into Sylvanas' touch and closed her eyes. Her ears twitched and both looked to the door as Nathanos came back in, one of the Tauren herbalists following behind him.

* * *

Aelwynn's jaw muscles twitched as she looked down at her hands, closing her eyes as she resigned herself to the loss of vision in her damaged eye. She flinched and jerked her head back as a foreign hand touched her face and opened her eyes. Nathanos held his hands in front of him in a gesture of caution. "I apologize." She noticed the scrap of leather in one of his hands and looked back to him. He reached for her again, gently fastening the leather patch over her useless eye and avoiding her ears as he threaded the laces together. "This will at least keep you from touching it, for now." He stepped back, a frown on his face.

She reached up to touch the patch, nodding and giving him a blank smile. "Thanks, Nathanos." She said quietly.

He nodded in return. "If you wish to postpone your training, we will do so. It may do you some good to get yourself back into a routine, to give yourself time to get used to the shift in depth perception."

She shrugged her shoulders slightly. "Won't matter much, will it. It's going to take me another week or two to get used to using my bow again. I already overcompensate on my shots. I don't think I've hit a target square on since I came back."

"That may be true, but your close quarters combat has gotten better. That has to count for something, yes?"

Sylvanas turned to their Champion. "For now I would suggest we continue close quarters combat. And you should brush up on your rifle skills. It'll be easier to sight in a rifle."

* * *

Aelwynn met up with Esme in the ruins, watching her friend set up the ingredients for an illusion scroll. "Now, this isn't going to change your looks much, at most it'll change your face. Not that you need it." The priest said sharply.

Aelwynn sighed. "I know, I know. It just gets to be...a bit much. I didn't realize how much my people have to deal with when it comes to the living staring at us. You guys are fine, but there's still people that don't know how to keep their staring to a minimum. I don't want to make anyone uncomfortable. It isn't exactly a...nice face to look at."

Esme scoffed. "You're more vain now as an undead than you ever were while you were alive. You look fine. Yes, the scar is a bit startling, but you don't look gruesome. Besides, it isn't like you really...rotted away or anything. You look almost like you did right before you died, aside from the scar and your skin and hair color. Besides, I doubt Sylvanas cares what you look like. She's not that vain."

Aelwynn chuckled, shaking her head. "She kind of is. I watched her glare for ten solid minutes at her armor this morning after I commented on the fact that she's finally covering her abdomen. I know she wasn't uncomfortable before so discomfort isn't the thing."

The shadow priest shrugged, the tips of her ears rising in interest. "Despite her undeath, she has a nice figure, she should be proud to show it off."

Aelwynn's ears pinned and she scowled. "It's more skin than I'm comfortable showing, but that's just me."

Esme grinned at her, arcane green orbs meeting Aelwynn's burgundy left eye. "Possessive much?"

The hunter shook her head. "No." She said quickly.

"Right..." She drawled, looking the young undead over. "It's okay to feel like that, you know. I mean, the two of you _are_ engaged, so naturally you want certain things to be only for you. I'm just grateful the two of you are staying more with Thalassian tradition. I don't want to be a witness to a bedding ceremony, no offense."

Aelwynn shook her head quickly. "If that was something she wanted, I wouldn't have accepted her proposal. I don't share. She knows that. Hell...everyone knows that."

They heard footsteps and found the rest of their little group trailing into the ruins.

Bulliam charged in, scooping Aelwynn up and giving her a tight hug, much to the Hunter's chagrin. "Ahh, it's good to see you outside of the Undercity." He said with a wide grin.

Aelwynn groaned. "The door is fifty feet away. I can happily go back."

The group stepped closer, surrounding their friend. "No, no, you're staying out here." Sif said.

"Can we get this over with? They want me back in the Rogues Hall in an hour." Tarin snapped.

Nikola sighed, the death knight rolling his eyes and nudging the Rogue toward one of the fallen pillars. "Sit down and be quiet, or leave."

Aelwynn shuffled back to the table, her gaze falling on the scroll as Esme finished. "You can use this several times. Depending on how long you use it every time, the magic will dwindle in it. I would recommend taking about an hour or two between uses. The scroll will last longer and even though your nerve endings are a bit decayed, that rest time will make things easier on them."

The hunter nodded, taking the scroll as Esme handed it to her and slipped it into the side pouch of her pack.

"Thank you." She said. "I should get back inside. I've got to finish sighting in my rifle, and I need to get my magazines for it packed up. Khadgar's coming at first light tomorrow so we can portal out to the Exodar."

Esme pulled the Hunter in for a gentle hug.

"How long will you be gone?" Carlisle asked.

Aelwynn looked between the monk and his wife. "No longer than a month. We want to get a foothold set up. Once we've gained a little ground, they'll start bringing more people over to help out. You guys do what you can here, we should have more than enough troops on Argus."

"If you think we're staying away, you can think again." Nikola said, folding his arms and watching Aelwynn.

"Look, when we've established a foothold, come to Argus. Or stay here. Regardless of your choice, we've got plenty of cleanup to do from the demons' invasions all over Azeroth. Plus we still have to settle things on the Broken Isles. I'll be back once we're set up to bring troops through Dalaran."

Hugs were traded by everyone, and Aelwynn turned to look at her cousin with hesitation. "Good luck." Tarin said, nodding and patting her arm stiffly. "Thanks." Aelwynn replied.

She shouldered her pack and headed back toward the elevators to the Undercity with quiet footsteps.

When she was clear of the door, Nikola grabbed the rogue by the wrist and dragged her out of the ruins toward the exit. The rest of the group hurried to follow.

"I can't believe you." The Death Knight snapped, shoving Proudrunner against the outer wall of Lordaeron Keep.

"You guys asked me here, I came. I need to get back to the Rogues Hall." She replied harshly.

"You don't realize what you're doing. Every time you're in the same room with her, you treat her terribly. Don't you know what that's doing to her?" Esme asked, taking her husband's hand. Carlisle wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

"Look, how I treat them isn't anyone's business but my own."

" _Them_? Really? You're not even going to say her name, are you?" Sif asked, her hand resting on Loki's arm as the Mage stepped toward his sister. Her husband glared at the Rogue.

"You're acting like a child." Loki said.

"You're all acting like everything's okay! I don't understand any of you anymore! The Banshee Whore raised her and you're all acting like it's one big party now that she's back! I can't even _look_ at her. I don't _want_ to look at her. Loki, our cousin _died_. Windrunner should have just left her alone. We should have made sure she never came here to this damn place. She should have stayed in Silvermoon, or gone to Thunder Bluff. I refuse to believe that _thing_ is our cousin. It's a reanimated corpse with Aelwynn's voice and some of her mannerisms."

Tarin's head snapped to the side as Loki's fist made contact with her jaw. "You're disgusting."

"No, I'm being realistic, brother. And I'm late." She said, ducking past the group and using the shadows to stealth.

Bulliam sighed, shaking his head as they headed back into the entrance of the Undercity. "Aelwynn was still here. I could hear her."

* * *

Aelwynn shook off the pain in her chest, pain that had nothing to do with the scars and everything to do with what her cousin had said. She'd waited until the group had left the entrance of the ruins and followed them through the shadows. Every word Tarin had spoken had caused another sharp flare of hurt to settle inside her, and before their conversation had ended she decided to head back to her chambers.

As she hit the door to their chambers she shut it behind her, dropping her pack next to the weapons rack and going over to the desk. She flipped through a couple of missives from Montaygne and Khadgar and tossed them on the desk, resting her palms against the surface. Her chin dropped to her chest and she closed her good eye, feeling the pull of the shadows in the room and wanting nothing more than to fade into them.

* * *

Sylvanas had seen Aelwynn through the shadows as her lover made her way to their rooms, and made to follow her.

As she opened the door, she could see misty grey vapors bleeding off of her consort, the tight set of the Hunters' shoulders and the way her ears had pinned back and down. An ache had settled in Sylvanas' chest as Aelwynn was up in the ruins, one that the Banshee Queen knew immediately wasn't her own feelings but her lover's as they bled through the bond between the two women.

Sylvanas reached out for her lover cautiously, flinching back as Aelwynn spun and drew her skinning knife.

"My gods... don't do that." Aelwynn said thickly, sheathing her knife and dropping back against the desk.

The vapors ebbed away, settling back into her lover's form and Aelwynn's shoulders dropped, her hand coming up to rub her forehead. "Sorry." She said.

Sylvanas stepped up to her, cupping Aelwynn's chin and bringing their gazes up to meet. "What happened, _surfal_? I felt-"

"Everyone showed up in the ruins. Even Tarin. It wasn't...great. She hates you, and she's disgusted with me. I don't know what to do."

Sylvanas wrapped her arms around Aelwynn, pulling her into a hug that her Hunter tightened. Aelwynn buried her face in Sylvanas' neck, closing her left eye and settling down into the Banshee Queen's strong arms.

"I'm sorry, love. I wish there were some way I could fix this." She said, running gentle fingers through Aelwynn's short hair.

"There's not much we can do. She's got her opinion, that's just something I'm going to have to accept." Aelwynn replied, pulling back and looking up at her Dark Lady.

* * *

Aelwynn shook off the tingling feeling the illusion magic had on her and looked at Sylvanas, holding her hands out. "Well?" She asked.

Sylvanas frowned. "It's a look." She said.

Aelwynn chuckled, tugging her close and cupping her cheek, her thumb brushing over the dark tear marks on her cheeks. "Something wrong?" She asked.

"It isn't you." Sylvanas replied, leaning in and pressing a kiss to her lips.

A throat cleared behind them and Sylvanas' ears pinned back in annoyance, both she and Aelwynn turning to find Khadgar standing at the stairs of the dais.

"I apologize, Warchief, I came to collect the Huntmistress. They're finishing up the Vindicaar now."

Aelwynn nodded, slipping her pack off of her shoulder and rolling up the illusion scroll before stowing it away.

"Please be careful, _surfal_. I lost you to the demons once, I won't have it again."

Aelwynn chuckled, cupping Sylvanas' cheek again. "I'll be fine. I have Khadgar _and_ Illidan at my back. Plus Thalyssra and Liadrin will be there so I'm sure I'll be safe."

Sylvanas nodded. "I have something for you. Our blacksmith started a new batch of blades." She said, waving one of the guards over. He passed off a sword and scabbard to Sylvanas and stepped back.

She pulled the blade from the scabbard, the light glinting off of the black and grey patterning on it and Aelwynn's eyes widened as she watched the enchantment ebb along the edge. Deep purple vapors danced between them as they floated in suspension around the blade and she reached out to touch the metal, the enchantment touching the dead nerves of her hand and a warmth settling in her chest.

Sylvanas slid the blade back into the scabbard, holding it out for Aelwynn to take. Her lover took the blade in one hand, the other cupping the back of the Banshee Queen's neck and pulling her in for a deep kiss. _'I can feel you in this blade, love. How?'_

 _'Do you remember some of the things I had been given after Arthas was finally conquered? One of your guildmates brought me something he had kept. He wore a vial of my blood on his person.'_

Aelwynn's ears pinned back and her eyes dropped to the sword.

 _'It's alright,_ Dalah'surfal _, I promise. I made sure to add it to the mixture myself. That vial went into this enchantment.'_

Khadgar looked up to the Banshee Queen and the woman next to her, his eyes widening as he saw the illusion melt away from her. He'd sensed there was some sort of concealment magic around the Huntmistress but he'd had no idea it was to hide her appearance. He watched the Dark Lady of the Forsaken press a hand to Aelwynn's chest and reach up to touch the side of her face he couldn't see, both bowing their heads and bringing their foreheads together. He looked away from the intimate display before him, brushing down the front of his combat robes and picking a thread off the cuff of his right sleeve.

Aelwynn attached the sword to her belt, passing off her old rangers blade to the guard with a nod and a smile. "Keep an eye on that, Viktor, I'll be back for it."

The other undead chuckled, holding it up. "I'll be sure it's sharpened and placed in your quarters, Queen-Consort."

Khadgar frowned as he heard Aelwynn's voice, wondering if he'd failed to notice the necromantic magic surrounding her due to the other Forsaken in the room and he straightened up as she took Sylvanas' hand and placed a gentle kiss on her knuckles. "I'll be back before you know it, Milady." She said, heading toward the stairs of the dais. Her gaze was down as she watched her feet on the stairs, and when she hit the bottom stair she looked up, granting Khadgar a wide grin. "Good to see you, Archmage." She said, shaking his hand and holding her other hand out, gesturing for him to lead the way.

"We'll need to get topside before I can portal us out of here, we've got a ways to go, and the connection to the Exodar is a bit rough underground."

Aelwynn nodded. "That sounds good. How many troops are we bringing?" She asked.

"A few hundred is all we can take to travel, but once we've arrived on Argus, Prophet Velen has a way to create a teleporter. We can bring in as many troops as we need." He replied.

When they arrived in the Ruins Khadgar stopped for a minute and looked Aelwynn over. "I must say, I'm glad Lady Sylvanas was able to reach you in time. News of your death spread quickly, and there were several of us that were worried we would be having another state funeral."

Aelwynn nodded. "Dying wasn't ideal, but I've learned my lesson." She pinned her gauntlet between her side and her arm, reaching up and wiping away a rivulet of ichor that had started running down her cheek next to her scar from below the customary eye patch she sported. She met Khadgar's wide eyed gaze with her left eye. "Sorry." She said, looking down.

He shook his head. "It's alright." He said, casting a portal to the Exodar.

She closed her eyes, pulling the illusion back around her and blinking as she felt it settle over her skin.

* * *

 **So here we end another chapter... Sex, panic, intrigue? And pain. And we're on our way to Argus... Let me know what you think! Reviews help resuscitate my muse.**


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